A  Handbook 

FOR  THE 

Women  Voters  of  Illinois 


BY 
ALICE  GREENACRE 

Member  of  the  Chicago  Bar 


EDITED  BY 
SOPHONISBA  P.  BRECKINRIDGE 


PRICE  FIFTY  CENTS 


CHICAGO  SCHOOL  OF  CIVICS  AND  PHILANTHROPY 


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A  Handbook 

FOR  THE 

Women  Voters  of  Illinois 


BY 
ALICE  GREENACRE 

Member  of  the  Chicago  Bar 


EDITED  BY 
SOPHONISBA  P.  BRECKINRIDGE 


PRICE  FIFTY  CENTS 


PUBLISHED  BY 

DEPARTMENT  OF  SOCIAL  INVESTIGATION 
CHICAGO  SCHOOL  OF  CIVICS  AND  PHILANTHROPY 

1913 


COPYRIGHT,  1913,  BY 

ALICE   GREENACRE 


The  Hildmann  Printing  Co. 
722-732  Sherman  St.,  Chicago 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

The  purpose  of  this  Handbook  should  be  clearly  under- 
stood. It  has  been  prepared  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be 
of  service  to  the  women  of  Illinois  in  preparing  for  the 
exercise  of  their  new  political  power.  Its  preparation  was 
begun  at  the  request  of  a  committee  of  the  Woman's  City 
Club  of  Chicago.  Help  and  generous  co-operation  have 
been  given  by  members  of  the  Illinois  Equal  Suffrage  Asso- 
ciation. It  was  at  first  intended  to  publish  the  Handbook 
under  the  auspices  of  a  joint  committee  representing  these 
two  organizations,  and  acknowledgments  are  made  espe- 
cially to  Miss  S.  Grace  Nicholes  and  to  Mrs.  Florence  Ben- 
nett Peterson,  members  of  that  committee. 

The  original  plan  was  to  prepare  a  brief  outline  of  gov- 
ernment with  citations  of  authorities,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
such  an  outline  might  serve  as  a  basis  for  discussions  of 
governmental  action  which  would  interpret  to  women  the 
significance  of  their  enfranchisement.  With  the  organiza- 
tion of  numerous  classes  in  civics  for  women  voters,  it  be- 
came evident  that  effective  interpretation  must  be  preceded 
by  an  exact  knowledge  of  structure,  and  our  plan  was  neces- 
sarily enlarged.  The  Handbook,  therefore,  describes  the 
structure  of  government  as  authorized  and  determined  by 
the  constitution,  statutes  and  ordinances  under  which  we 
live.  It  neither  criticizes  nor  discusses  on  the  basis  of  effi- 
ciency, nor  does  it,  as  has  been  said,  interpret.  Criticism 
and  suggested  changes  in  accordance  with  principles  of 
efficiency  can,  we  believe,  be  soundly  based  only  on  a  rea- 
sonably wide  and  exact  knowledge  of  the  facts  included  in 
the  following  chapters. 

The  book  then  differs  from  most  handbooks.  It  is  simpler 
than  some,  and  not  so  simple  as  others.  It  is  not  a  primer; 


255535 


6  EDITOR'S   P REPACK 

neither  is  it  a  treatise.  The  effort  has  been  made  to  have 
it  as  simple  as  is  consistent  with  accuracy  of  statement  and 
adequacy  of  content.  Doubts  have  been  resolved  in  favor 
of  the"  technical  rather  than  the  simple  form  of  statement. 
in  favor  of  including  rather  than  of  excluding  material  of 
uncertain  importance. 

The  sources  of  information  are  the  constitution  and 
statutes  of  the  United  States  and  of  Illinois,  the  city  ordi- 
nances, and  official  reports.  All  persons  may  have  access 
to  the  same  sources  to  test  the  accuracy  or  to  add  to  the 
information.  Miss  Greenacre  has,  however,  tried  to  include 
all  the  information  necessary  for  an  understanding  of  the 
structure  of  the  government  under  which  we  live. 

It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  the  task  has  been  well 
enough  performed  to  make  simple  the  preparation  and  the 
publication  of  other  handbooks  in  which  the  functions  of 
good  government  and  the  relative  value  of  alternative 
policies  may  be  set  forth. 

It  is  the  author's  hope  and  mine  that  many  women  will 
be  willing  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  relationships 
existing  between  the  different  governments  under  which 
they  live ;  and  we  especially  hope  that  leaders  of  clubs  and 
classes  and  groups  of  all  kinds  who  are  definitely  and  seri- 
ously undertaking  to  prepare  themselves  to  vote  may  find 
it  useful.  For  such  leaders  we  suggest  that  in  connection 
with  each  chapter  they  formulate  a  number  of  definite 
questions  similar  to  the  following,  which  can  be  easily 
answered  by  reference  to  the  text. 

1.  Am  I  a  qualified  voter? 

2.  If  not,  how  can  I  become  one? 

3.  To  what  governmental  districts  does  my   place  of 
residence  belong? 

4.  How  are  they  named? 

5.  How  many  people  represent  me  as  a  voter  in  the 
government  and  to  what  bodies  do  they  belong? 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE  7 

6.  How  many  others,  whom  I  do  not  help  select,  repre- 
sent me? 

7.  In  what  places  is  the  governmental  business  con- 
ducted? 

8.  At  what  times  during  the  year  do  I  vote  ? 

9.  What  direct  voice  have  I  in  the  choice  of  federal 
officers? 

10.  What  judges  do  I  have  a  direct  voice  in  electing? 

11.  What  other  judges  are  there? 

12.  Who  pays  their  salaries? 

13.  Who  decides  what  taxes  I  have  to  pay? 

14.  What  governmental  agencies  control  the  schools  of 
rny  town? 

In  addition  to  the  acknowledgments  already  made, 
thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Charles  E.  Merriam  and  to  Mr.  I.  T. 
Greenacre,  who  have  read  portions  of  the  text,  to  the  Elec- 
tion Commissioners  of  Chicago  for  aid  in  the  preparation 
of  the  maps,  to  many  officials  who  have  given  generous  aid, 
and  to  Mrs.  Emmons  Elaine,  through  whose  generosity  the 
publication  is  made  possible. 

S.  P.  BRECKINRIDGE. 
December  19,   1913. 


CONTENTS 

EDITOR'S   PREFACE   5 

CHAPTER  I.  INTRODUCTORY  STATEMENT 11 

CHAPTER   II.     CITIZENSHIP   AND  NATURALIZATION 

Citizenship  by  Birth 13 

Citizenship  by  Naturalization 14 

Expatriation    20 

CHAPTER  III.   VOTING  AND  REGISTRATION 

Election   Officials    22 

Arrangements    of   Polling-Place 24 

The   Ballot   25 

Voting  Machines    28 

Registration     29 

Nominations   and   Primary   Elections 31 

Women  as  "Qualified  Voters" 35 

CHAPTER  IV.    GOVERNMENT  OF  CITIES  AND  INCORPORATED  TOWNS 
AND  VILLAGES 

Chicago    37 

Legislative   Department    (City    Council) 38 

Executive  Department    40 

Judicial  Department    46 

Board  of  Election  Commissioners 46 

Other  Forms  of  City  Government 47 

Commission  Form  of  Government 47 

Minority  Representation  in  the  City  Council 49 

Village   Government    50 

Incorporated  Towns    50 

Park  Districts   51 

CHAPTER  V.    COUNTY  GOVERNMENT 

Counties  Under  Township  Organization 55 

Counties  Not  Under  Township  Organization 59 

Cook  County   60 

Provisions  Applying  in  all  Counties 61 

Assessment  and  Review   64 

Sanitary  Districts  66 

Illinois  School  System 67 

8 


CONTENTS  9 

CHAPTER  VI.     STATE  GOVERNMENT  OF  ILLINOIS 

The  Legislative   Department    74 

The  Executive   Department    78 

The  Judicial   Department 85 

CHAPTER  VII.    THE  NATIONAL,  OR  FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT 

The  Legislative  Department    93 

The  Executive  Department  98 

The  Judicial   Department    102 

CHAPTER  VIII.    REVENUE 

General  Taxes   (Tariff,  excise  and  stamp  duties,  income  tax,  land 

and  property  tax)    105 

Special   Assessment    108 

Fees 108 

Borrowing  Power    108 

Income  from  Public  Utilities 109 

Income  from  Public  Property 109 

APPENDICES 

I.    THREE  ILLINOIS  STATUTES  AFFECTING  WOMEN Ill 

II.     CALENDAR  OF  ELECTIONS 113 

III.    TABLES  OF  COUNTIES  SHOWING  ELECTORAL  DISTRICTS 117 

INDEX   121 

NOTES  TO  MAPS 128 

Maps  of  Chicago  showing  Ward  Boundaries,  Senatorial  and  Con- 
gressional Districts.  Map  of  Illinois  showing  Counties  and 
County  Seats. 


CHAPTER  1. 
INTRODUCTORY  STATEMENT 

On  July  1,  1913,  an  act  that  greatly  enlarged  the  po- 
litical capacity  of  the  women  of  Illinois  became  effective. 
This  act  was  entitled  "An  act  for  granting  women  the  right 
to  vote  for  presidential  electors  and  certain  other  officers, 
and  to  participate  and  vote  in  certain  matters  and  elec- 
tions." This  act  does  not  attempt  to  give  full  suffrage  to 
the  women  of  Illinois,  since  such  suffrage  can  be  given 
only  by  an  amendment  to  the  state  constitution  or  by  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  similar 
to  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  which  enfranchised  negro  men. 
The  state  constitution  directs  that  certain  officers  shall  be 
elected,  and  prescribes  the  qualifications  of  electors,  re- 
quiring among  other  qualifications,  that  they  shall  be  "male 
citizens."  Such  officers  are  called  "constitutional  officers," 
and  the  legislature  cannot  give  to  women  the  right  to 
vote  for  them.  The  legislature  may,  however,  grant  to 
women  the  power  to  vote  for  any  officers  who  are  not  by 
the  constitution  required  to  be  elected,  for  whose  selection 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  legislature  to  provide.  The  legislature 
has  apparently  attempted  in  the  act  of  July  1,  1913,  to  en- 
franchise the  women  of  Illinois  as  fully  as  lies  in  its  power. 
In  a  number  of  states,  women  have  for  many  years  been 
allowed  to  vote  on  school  affairs  or  for  school  officers.  In 
other  states,  tax-paying  women  have  enjoyed  a  limited  suf- 
frage. In  nine  states,  Arizona,  California,  Colorado,  Idaho, 
Kansas,  Oregon,  Utah,  Washington,  and  Wyoming,  and  in 
the  territory  of  Alaska  women  have  full  suffrage  on  equal 
terms  with  the  male  population.  Under  the  Illinois  law, 
women  enjoy  much  greater  power  than  in  any  other  state 
where  a  limited  right  has  been  granted.  The  officers  for  whom 
they  can  vote  are :  presidential  electors,  members  of  the 

11 


12  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

State  Board  of  Equalization,  clerk  of  the  appellate  court, 
county  surveyor,  members  of  the  boards  of  assessors,  mem- 
bers of  boards  of  review,  sanitary  district  trustees,  and  all 
officers  of  cities,  villages  and  towns  (except  police  magis- 
trates). They  may  also  vote  on  all  questions  submitted  to 
a  vote  of  the  electors  of  municipalities  or  other  political 
divisions  of  the  state. 

Many  questions  will  probably  be  raised  requiring  de- 
cision, both  by  the  courts  and  by  administrative  officers, 
with  reference  to  the  effect  of  the  act  and  to  the  extent 
to  which  duties  have  been  laid  upon  women  and  rights  ob- 
tained by  women  in  matters  other  than  the  direct  election 
of  the  particular  officers  named  in  the  act.  In  the  follow- 
ing discussion  no  attempt  will  be  made  to  forecast  the 
reply  to  such  questions.  The  purpose  of  this  discussion  is 
to  interpret  the  apparent  meaning  of  the  statute  in  rela- 
tion to  the  constitution  and  to  other  statutes,  and  to  fur- 
nish such  facts  as  the  women  of  Illinois  will  need  in  order 
to  exercise  their  new  franchise  intelligently. 


CHAPTER  II. 
CITIZENSHIP  AND  NATURALIZATION 

By  citizenship  is  meant  membership  in  the  nation,  or 
the  state;  by  reason  of  this  membership  the  citizen  owes 
the  duty  of  allegiance  to  the  state  and  is  entitled  to  the 
protection  of  its  government.  Citizenship  is  the  founda- 
tion of  the  right  to  vote,  although  in  many  states  citizens 
who  are  in  some  way  incapacitated  by  sex,  infancy,  mental 
defect  or  pauperism  are  denied  suffrage,  and  in  some 
states,  e.  g.,  Nebraska,  persons  who  have  not  yet  fully  ac- 
quired citizenship  are  allowed  suffrage. 

Citizenship  exists  either  by  birth  or  by  reason  of  a  pro- 
ceeding called  "naturalization." 

CITIZENSHIP  BY  BIRTH. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  "all  per- 
sons born  or  naturalized  in  the  United  States,  and  subject 
to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States 
and  of  the  state  wherein  they  reside."  This  provision  is 
not  held  to  apply  to  Indian  tribes,  to  the  native  inhabitants 
of  the  Philippine  Islands,  nor  to  the  people  of  Porto  Rico 
and  Cuba,  who  were  formerly  Spanish  subjects ;  they  are  re- 
garded as  dependent  but  separate  nations,  with  different  de- 
grees of  dependency  upon  the  United  States.  It  does  apply, 
however,  to  all  other  persons  born  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  including  native-born  Chinese  and  Japanese. 
Furthermore,  a  child  born  abroad,  whose  father  is  at  the 
time  of  the  child's  birth  an  American  citizen,  who  has  him- 
self resided  in  America,  is  also  an  American  citizen.  But 
this  citizenship  will  be  lost  unless  the  child  either  returns  to  the 
United  States  or,  upon  becoming  of  age,  records  before  an 
American  consul  his  intention  of  remaining  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  and  takes  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States. 

13 


14  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

CITIZENSHIP  BY  NATURALIZATION. 

Naturalization  is  a  proceeding  prescribed  by  act  of 
Congress  by  which  persons  formerly  the  subjects  of  other 
governments  may  acquire,  together  with  their  family, 
United  States  citizenship.  The  privilege  of  naturalization 
extends  to  persons  of  foreign  birth,  either  men  or  women, 
who  are  "free  white  persons,  aliens  of  African  nativity,  and 
persons  of  African  descent."  It  will  be  noted  that  it  does 
not  extend  to  Chinese,  Japanese,  other  Mongolians  or  to 
Eskimos.  No  person,  moreover,  who  does  not  believe  in 
organized  government  or  who  belongs  to  a  society  that  does 
not  believe  in  organized  government,  and  no  person  who 
believes  in  or  practices  polygamy  may  be  naturalized. 

Naturalization  proceedings  may  be  made  in  any  district 
court  of  the  United  States,  or  in  any  state  court  of  record, 
having  a  clerk  and  a  seal,  and  with  jurisdiction  not  confined 
to  controversies  in  which  the  amount  involved  is  limited.  In 
Cook  County,  these  state  courts  are  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook 
County  and  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County.  Full  in- 
formation with  regard  to  naturalization  requirements  can 
always  be  had  from  the  clerk  of  any  court  in  which  naturali- 
zation proceedings  may  be  taken. 

The  present  requirements  for  naturalization  are  de- 
termined by  two  acts :  the  first  applies  to  foreigners  who 
arrived  on  or  before  June  26,  1906,  or  took  out  their  first 
papers  before  September  17,  1906;  the  second  applies  to 
foreigners  who  arrived  after  June  26,  1906.  The  first  step 
in  naturalization  is  generally  called  "taking  out  first  pa- 
pers." It  costs  one  dollar,  and  consists  in  filing  with  the 
clerk  of  the  court  a  declaration,  under  oath,  of  intention  to 
reside  permanently  in  the  United  States  and  to  renounce  al- 
legiance to  the  foreign  government  from  which  the  appli- 
cant has  come.  The  law  requires  certain  facts  as  indicated 
in  the  following  form,*  which  is  likewise  prescribed  by  the 
new  statute. 

*The  clerk  of  the  court  will  also  supply  in  advance  a  blank  ques- 
tion form,  so  that  the  applicant  may  know  the  facts  which  will  have; 
to  be  stated  in  the  declaration. 


CITIZENSHIP   AND   NATURALIZATION  15 

DECLARATION  OP  INTENTION 

(Invalid  for  all  purposes  seven  years  after  the  date  hereof.) 

,  ss: 

I,    ,  aged years,  occupation ,  do 

declare  on  oath  (affirm)  that  my  personal  description  is:     Color 

complexion ,  height ,  weight , 

color  of  hair color  of  eyes ,  other  visible  dis- 
tinctive marks ;  I  was  born  in ,  on  the 

day  of ,  anno  Domini  ;  I  now  reside  at ; 

I  emigrated  to  the  United  States  of  America  from ,  on  the 

vessel ;  my  last  foreign  residence  was It  is  my 

bona  fide  intention  to  renounce  forever  all  allegiance  and  fidelity  to 
any  foreign  prince,  potentate,  state,  or  sovereignty,  and  particularly  to 

of  which  I  am  now  a  citizen    (subject);   I   arrived  at  the 

(port)  of ,  in  the  State  (Territory  or  District)  of 

on  or  about  the day  of ,  anno  Domini ; 

I  am  not  an  anarchist;  I  am  not  a  polygamist  nor  a  believer  in  the 
practice  of  polygamy;  and  it  is  my  intention  in  good  faith  to  become 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America  and  to  permanently  reside 
herein.  So  help  me  God. 

(Original  signature  of  declarant) 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  (affirmed)  before  me  this 

day  of ,  anno  Domini 


(Official  character  of  attestor.) 

Declarations  cannot  be  filed  by  anyone  under  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  under  the  earlier  act  people  who  came  to 
this  country  when  they  were  minors,  under  eighteen  years 
of  age,  did  not  have  to  file  this  declaration.  Under  the 
new  act,  however,  everyone  except  a  person  who  has  been 
honorably  discharged  from  the  United  States  Army,  or  has 
served  five  years  in  the  United  States  Navy,  or  one  enlist- 
ment in  the  United  States  Marine  Corps  must  take  out 
first  papers.  Declarations  filed  under  the  earlier  law  are 
good  without  limit  as  to  the  time  at  which  naturalization  is 
completed,  but  under  the  new  law  naturalization  must  be 
completed  within  seven  years  from  their  date. 

Further,  under  the  new  law  a  certificate  of  arrival  must 
be  filed  with  the  first  papers.  This  certificate  can  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Department  of  Labor.  It  is  sent  directly  to 
the  clerk  of  the  court  indicated,  who  will  notify  the  appli- 


16  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

cant  upon  its  arrival.     The  following  is  a  proper  form  of 
request : 

CHIEF,  DIVISION  OF  NATURALIZATION, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

SIR:     I  came  to  this  country  after  June  29,  1906.     Please  obtain  a 
certificate,  showing  my  arrival  in  the  United  States  and  forward  it  to 

the   Clerk   of  the 

(Give  title  of  court  and  city  and  county  and  state 

where  court  is  located  in  which  petition  will  be  filed.) 

for    filing   as   the   law    requires,   with    the    petition   for    naturalization, 

which  I  intend  to  file  in  that  court. 

In  the   accompanying   statement   I  have  given  the   date  I   landed 
and   the   place  of  my  arrival  and  shown   the  facts   which   will   go  in 
my  petition  for  naturalization  when  it  is  filed. 
Respectfully, 


(Name  in  full.) 
(Address.) 


The  second  step  of  naturalization  proceedings  is  called 
"taking  out  second  papers."  Persons  over  twenty-one 
years  of  age  who  have  been  honorably  discharged  from  the 
army  of  the  United  States  and  have  lived  in  the  country 
one  full  year,  or  who,  after  taking  out  first  papers,  have 
served  with  good  conduct  for  three  years  in  a  United 
States  merchant  vessel  may  take  out  second  papers  with- 
out waiting  until  they  have  been  five  years  in  America. 
Everyone  else  must  wait  until  he  is  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  has  been  in  this  country  at  least  five  years,  and 
further  until  at  least  two  years  have  passed  since  the  filing 
of  the  first  papers,  and  until  he  has  been  at  least  one  year 
in  the  state  where  he  takes  out  the  second  papers  and  com- 
pletes naturalization.  Under  the  new  law  he  must  also  be 
able  to  speak  English  by  the  time  he  takes  out  the  second 
papers,  unless  he  is  physically  unable  to  speak  or  has  made 
a  homestead  entry  upon  the  public  lands  of  the  United 
States.  To  take  out  second  papers  the  alien  goes  to  the 
clerk  of  the  court  where  he  wishes  to  get  his  papers  of  citi- 
zenship and  files  his  first  papers ;  gives  the  names,  addresses 


CITIZENSHIP   AND   NATURALIZATION  17 

and  occupations  of  two  persons  who  are  both  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  who  will  be  witnesses  for  him  to  prove 
that  he  has  filled  the  residence  requirements,  that  he  has 
lived  as  a  man  of  good  moral  character  and  as  a  law-abiding 
citizen  should  and  that  he  will  make  a  desirable  citizen; 
and  upon  paying  a  fee  of  two  dollars  files  a  petition  for 
naturalization,  which  is  in  the  following  form : 

PETITION  FOR  NATURALIZATION 

Court  of 

In  the  matter  of  the  petition  of ,  to  be  admitted  as  a 

citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
To  the Court : 

The  petition  of respectfully  shows : 

First.     My  full  name  is 

Second.     My  place  of  residence  is  No street, 

city  of ,  State  (Territory  or  District)  of 

Third.     My  occupation  is 

Fourth.    I  was  born  on  the day  of ,  at 

Fifth.     I  emigrated  to  the  United  States  from ,  on  or 

about  the day  of ,  anno  Domini ,  and 

arrived  at  the  port  of ,  in  the  United  States,  on  the 

vessel 

Sixth.     I  declared  my  intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United 

States  on  the day  of ,  at ,  in  the 

court  of 

Seventh.     I  am married.     My  wife's  name  is 

She  was  born  in and  now  resides  at I  have 

children,  and  the  name,  date,  and  place  of  birth  and  place 

of  residence  of  each  of  said  children  is  as  follows :    ; 


Eighth.  I  am  not  a  disbeliever  in  or  opposed  to  organized  gov- 
ernment or  a  member  of  or  affiliated  with  any  organization  or  body  of 
persons  teaching  disbelief  in  organized  government.  I  am  not  a 
polygamist  nor  a  believer  in  the  practice  of  polygamy.  I  am  attached 
to  the  principles  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  it  is  my 
intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  to  renounce 
absolutely  and  forever  all  allegiance  and  fidelity  to  any  foreign  prince, 

potentate,  state,  or  sovereignty,  and  particularly  to ,  of  which 

at  this  time  I  am  a  citizen  (or  subject),  and  it  is  my  intention  to 
reside  permanently  in  the  United  States. 

Ninth.     I  am  able  to  speak  the  English  language. 

Tenth.  I  have  resided  continuously  in  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica for  a  term  of  five  years  at  least  immediately  preceding  the  date  of 

this  petition,  to-wit,  since ,  anno  Domini ,  and  in  the 

State  (Territory  or  District)  of for  one  year  at  least  next 


18  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

preceding  the  date  of  this  petition,  to-wit,  since - day  of 

,  anno  Domini 

Eleventh.     I  have  not  heretofore  made  petition   for  citizenship  to 

any  court.     (I  made  petition  for  citizenship  to  the court  of 

,  at and  the  said  petition  was  denied  by  the 

said  court  for  the  following  reasons  and  causes,  to-wit, 

and  the  cause  of  such  denial  has  since  been  cured  or  removed.) 

Attached  hereto  and  made  a  part  of  this  petition  are  my  declara- 
tion of  intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  the 
certificate  from  the  Department  of  Labor  required  by  law.  Wherefore 
you  petitioner  prays  that  he  may  be  admitted  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

Dated 

(Signature  of  petitioner) 

,  ss: 

,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that 

he  is  the  petitioner  in  the  above  entitled  proceedings;  that  he  has 
read  the  foregoing  petition  and  knows  the  contents  thereof;  and  that 
the  same  is  true  to  his  own  knowledge,  except  as  to  matters  therein 
stated  to  be  upon  information  and  belief,  and  that  as  to  those  matters 
he  believes  it  to  be  true. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this day  of 

anno  Domini 


Clerk   of   Court.* 

Petitions  may  be  filed  at  any  time,  but  are  heard  only 
on  special  days,  when  a  judge  examines  the  applicant  and 
his  witnesses  and  administers  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
those  who  are  admitted  to  citizenship.  For  a  certificate  of 
naturalization  the  new  citizen  must  pay  two  dollars  more, 
which  makes  the  total  amount  of  naturalization  fees  five 
dollars.  It  should  be  noted  that  no  one  may  be  naturalized 
and  no  certificate  issued  during  the  thirty  days  next  before 
any  general  election  in  the  court's  territory. 

CERTIFICATE  OP  NATURALIZATION 

Number 

Petition,  volume ,  page 

Stub,  volume ,  page 

(Signature  of  holder) 

Description  of  holder :     Age ;  height ;  color 

;  complexion ;  color  of  eyes ;  color  of 

hair ;  visible  distinguishing  marks Name,  age, 

•For  this  also  a  set  of  questions  indicating  the  facts  necessary 
to  be  known  can  be  obtained  ahead  of  time  from  the  clerk  and  filled 
out  for  convenience. 


CITIZENSHIP   AND   NATURALIZATION  19 


and  place  of  residence  of  wife ,   

Names,  ages,  and  places  of  residence  of  minor  children . . 


Be  it  remembered,  that  at  a term  of  the court 

of ,  held  at ,  on  the day  of,  in  the  year 

of  our  Lord  nineteen  hundred  and who  previous 

to  his  (her)  naturalization  was  a  citizen  (or  subject)  of , 

at  present  residing  at  No street city  (town), 

State  (Territory  or  District),  having  applied  to  be  admitted 

a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America  pursuant  to  law,  and  the 
court  having  found  that  the  petitioner  had  resided  continuously  within 
(he  United  States  for  at  least  five  years  in  this  State  for  one  year 
immediately  preceding  the  date  of  the  hearing  of-  his  (her)  petition, 
and  that  said  petitioner  intends  to  reside  permanently  in  the  United 
States,  had  in  all  respects  complied  with  the  law  in  relation  thereto, 
and  that  ..he  was  entitled  to  be  so  admitted,  it  was  thereupon  ordered 
by  the  said  court  that  ..he  be  admitted  as  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

In  testimony  whereof  the  seal  of  said  court  is  hereunto  affixed  on 

the day  of ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  nineteen  hundred 

and and  of  our  independence  the 

[L.  S.]  

(Official  character  of  attestor.) 

As  has  been  said,  the  naturalization  of  the  head  of  a 
family  also  affects  the  status  of  the  other  members  of  the 
family.  The  naturalization  of  a  man  naturalizes  his  wife, 
provided  she  is  a  person  who  might  become  naturalized  in- 
dependently, and  also  his  minor  children  who  take  up  per- 
manent residence  in  this  country.  A  child  whose  father  is 
a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States  but  who  has  him- 
self never  been  here  will,  to  be  sure,  be  examined  and 
treated  as  an  alien  upon  his  arrival,  before  he  is  allowed 
to  enter  the  country ;  and  cases  have  occurred  in  which  the 
children  of  naturalized  citizens  were  kept  out  of  the  country 
by  reason  of  their  diseased  condition.  If  a  man  who  has 
filed  his  declaration  of  intention  of  becoming  a  citizen, 
dies  before  completing  naturalization,  the  widow  and  the 
minor  children  may  comply  with  the  other  provisions  of  the 
act  and  be  naturalized  without  any  of  them  filing  separate 
declarations  of  intention. 


20  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

EXPATRIATION. 

Citizenship,  whether  acquired  by  birth  or  by  naturaliza- 
tion, may  be  lost.  Surrendering,  or  giving  up,  citizenship 
is  called  "expatriation."  The  status  of  a  woman  married  to 
an  alien,  who  had  herself  before  marriage  been  clearly  an 
American  citizen,  was  for  a  long  time  in  doubt.  The  mat- 
ter is  now  controlled,  however,  by  the  national  Expatriation 
Law,  which  went  into  effect  on  March  2,  1907,  under 
which  any  woman  who  marries  an  alien,  by  the  fact  of  her 
marriage  alone,  acquires  the  nationality  of  her  husband. 
An  American  citizen,  however,  who  loses  her  citizenship  by 
marriage,  may  at  the  termination  of  the  marriage  relation 
resume  her  American  citizenship  either  by  returning  to  the 
United  States  to  live  or  by  .remaining  here  if  she  be  already 
here,  or  by  registering,  if  she  be  abroad,  within  one  year 
as  an  American  citizen,  with  a  consul  of  the  United  States. 

Any  American  citizen,  man  or  woman,  is  allowed  to 
expatriate  himself  by  naturalizing  in  any  other  country  or 
by  taking  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  any  other  country. 
Furthermore,  naturalized  citizens  who  remain  abroad  two 
years  in  the  country  from  which  they  came  or  five  years  in 
any  other  foreign  country  without  reporting  to  an  Ameri- 
can consul  and  registering  their  desire  to  retain  American 
citizenship,  are  held  to  have  abandoned  it. 

Any  child,  too,  who  is  an  American  citizen  by  reason 
of  birth  abroad  of  a  father  who  is  an  American  citizen,  is 
also  taken  to  have  abandoned  his  American  citizenship  and 
loses  it,  if  he  remains  abroad  and  does  not,  when  he  comes 
of  age,  report  to  an  American  consul  his  desire  to  retain 
American  citizenship  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States. 

REFERENCES. 

Constitution  of  the  United  States',  Fourteenth  Amendment. 

Pierce's  United  States  Code  (1910),  1583  ff.— titles  "Citizenship" 
and  "Naturalization." 

Federal  Statutes  Annotated,  titles  "Citizenship"  and  "Naturaliza- 
tion." 

Revised  Statutes  of  the  United  States,  §§  1992—2001 ;  2165-2174. 

34  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large,  Pt.  I,  p.  596  ff ;  p.  1228  ff. 


CHAPTER  III. 
VOTING  AND  REGISTRATION 

There  are  four  qualifications  for  voters  for  constitutional 
officers  in  Illinois.  They  are:  (1)  citizenship,  (2)  sex,  (3) 
age,  and  (4)  residence.  For  example,  only  male  citizens, 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  who  have  lived  in  the  state  one 
year;  in  the  county  ninety  days;  and  in  the  election  district 
thirty  days,  can  vote  for  the  officers  whose  elections  are 
regulated  by  the  state  constitution.  The  residence  must 
be  just  before  the  election  and  must  be  true  "resi- 
dence"; that  is,  a  person  whose  home  is  in  one  election 
district,  who  is  cared  for  as  a  pauper  in  an  almshouse  in 
another,  does  not  acquire  residence  in  the  second  district. 
Neither  does  a  soldier  or  sailor  stationed  by  his  superior  in 
a  given  district  acquire  residence  in  his  new  or  lose  resi- 
dence in  his  old  dwelling-place.  Mental  incapacity,  in- 
sanity, infancy,  and  conviction  of  an  infamous  crime  dis- 
qualify. 

Voting  is  so  important  that  a  voter,  both  while  he  is 
voting  and  while  he  is  on  his  way  to  and  from  the  polls,  is 
assured  protection  from  arrest,  except  for  treason,  felony 
and  breach  of  the  peace.  And  employers  must  allow  each 
person  entitled  to  vote,  to  take  two  hours  during  the  time 
when  the  polls  are  open,  without  docking  his  pay;  but  the 
employee  who  wishes  to  secure  the  two  hours  must  notify 
the  employer  before  election  day  and  must  take  his  two 
hours  at  the  time  of  day  chosen  by  the  employer. 

All  of  these  provisions  apply  to  women  in  those  cases  in 
which  they  have  been  granted  the  power  to  vote. 

In  order  to  protect  the  community  against  fraudulent 
voting  those  who  are  eligible  are  often  required  to  register; 
and  it  is  important  that  women  voters  should  know  how 
they  may  qualify  and  exactly  how  the  voting  is  done.  Elec- 
tion officials  from  time  to  time  issue  posters  containing  in- 

21 


22  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

structions  for  voters.  These  instruction  cards  are  posted  be- 
fore each  election,  at  each  polling-place,  where  they  can 
be  read  by  anyone  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  do  so.  One 
copy  will  also  be  found  in  each  election  booth.  But 
every  voter  should  be  familiar  with  the  general  appearance 
of  a  ballot,  with  the  method  of  marking  and  depositing  bal- 
lots, and  with  the  requirements  of  registration. 

The  way  in  which  the  state  and  its  subdivisions  are  di- 
vided into  election  districts  and  precincts  is  explained  later 
in  the  outline  of  government.  In  each  election  district,  or 
precinct,  a  place  is  chosen  by  the  election  officials  as  a  poll- 
ing, or  voting  place.  The  statutes,  however,  limit  the  kind  of 
place  that  may  be  chosen.  The  general  election  law,  for  in- 
stance, provides  that  at  the  elections  controlled  by  that  law, 
the  polling-place  must  be  on  the  ground  floor  in  a 
front  room  with  a  door  opening  into  a  street  at  least  forty 
feet  wide,  and  must  be  near  the  voting  center  of  the 
district.  It  cannot  be  in  a  saloon,  bowling-alley,  billiard 
hall,  or  in  any  place  where  idlers  congregate.  Store  build- 
ings, barber-shops  and  many  kinds  of  buildings  are  used ; 
that  the  use.  of  school  buildings  for  this  purpose  should  be 
rapidly  and  widely  extended  is  now  being  somewhat  ad- 
vocated. 

When  the  polls  are  open,  no  other  business  can  be  car- 
ried on  in  the  polling-place,  and  no  electioneering  may  be 
done  within  one  hundred  feet. 

ELECTION  OFFICIALS. 

At  each  polling-place  there  are  certain  officials  responsible 
for  the  proper  and  honest  conduct  of  the  election.  The  chief 
ones  are  the  election  judges  and  the  clerks  of  election.  The 
judges,  who  have  custody  of  the  ballots  and  ballot-boxes  and 
are  in  charge  of  the  polling-place,  may  administer  oaths  and 
examine  anyone  whose  right  to  vote  is  doubted.  It  is  their 
especial  duty  to  maintain  order  in  the  polling-place  while  the 
election  is  in  progress,  and  to  count  the  ballots  after  the  polls 
are  closed.  The  clerks  of  election,  on  the  other  hand, 
merely  assist  the  judges,  check  on  the  register  the  names 


VOTING   AND    REGISTRATION  23 

of  persons  who  vote,  and  record  the  count  of  the  ballots 
which  is  made  by  the  judges.  The  judges  and  the  clerks 
of  election  must  be  in  constant  attendance  while  the  voting 
is  going  on  and  must  remain,  after  the  closing  of  the  polls, 
until  the  ballots  are  counted  and  sealed. 

The  method  of  selecting  judges  and  clerks  of  election  is 
different  in  the  different  governmental  units  and  depends  in 
part  on  whether  or  not  the  county  employs  township  form  of 
local  government.  The  county  board  in  each  county  selects 
the  polling-place  and  appoints  the  judges  and  clerks  of  elec- 
tion, but  in  counties  under  township  organization,  certain 
township  officers  must  always  be  appointed,  and  the  town- 
ship lines  are  the  basis  upon  which  the  precincts  are  laid  out. 
In  cities  under  the  city  election  law  the  judges  and  the  clerks 
of  all  elections  are  appointed  by  the  election  commission- 
ers.* The  selection  of  election  precincts,  of  polling-places 
and  of  judges  and  clerks  for  a  city  or  village  election  is 
made  by  the  city  or  village  authorities. 

In  election  districts  where  registration  is  required  these 
same  judges  and  clerks  must  make  the  registration  and 
examine  those  who  desire  to  have  their  names  placed  upon 
the  list  of  qualified  voters.  In  cities  under  the  city  election 
law,  clerks  of  election  must  also  serve  as  canvassers  to 
check  and  to  verify  the  registry  list  of  their  particular  dis- 
trict. 4  .  ,  .  ,  ,  '.  ^  '  , 

To  facilitate  the  work  of  checking  voters  and  to  mini- 
mize confusion  in  the  challenging  of  voters,  each  political 
party  is  permitted  to  have  one  or  more  official  challengers 
or  watchers  who  attend  at  the  polling-place  while  the 
voting  is  in  progress  and  remain  afterward  to  scrutinize  the 
counting  of  the  ballots.  While  these  men  are  not  properly 
election  officials,  they  are  usually  grouped  with  the  judges 
and  the  clerks  and  are  permitted  the  privileges  indicated. 

Each  polling-place  returns  its  ballots  and  makes  a  re- 
port of  the  election  to  the  central  election  officials.  In 
cities  under  the  city  election  law  these  are  always  the  elec- 

*See  p.  47. 


24  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

tion  commissioners.  In  election  districts  outside  these 
cities  the  authority  to  whom  the  report  is  made  is  always 
some  regularly  elected  officer,  as  for  instance,  in  a  county 
election,  the  county  clerk. 

ARRANGEMENTS  OP  POLLING-PLACE. 

Regarding  the  arrangements  of  the  polling-place,  it  may  be 
said  that :  Within  the  room  which  is  the  polling-place,  a  guard 
rail  is  put  up,  behind  which  are  allowed  only  the  election  offi- 
cers, the  official  challengers  and  watchers,  and  the  persons  ad- 
mitted by  the  election  officials  for  the  purpose  either  of  voting 
or  of  maintaining  peace.  And  behind  this  rail  are  the  election 
paraphernalia — the  ballots  to  be  voted,  when  ballots  are 
provided ;  the  poll  lists  or  necessary  documents  and  records 
of  the  election  officials ;  the  ballot-box  or  boxes ;  the  election 
booths  into  one  of  which  the  voter  must  go  alone  to  mark 
his  ballot.  Each  booth  is  fitted  with  a  shelf  upon  which 
one  may  write,  and  is  provided  with  pens,  ink,  blotters,  and 
pencils.  The  booths  must  be  so  arranged  that  the  voter 
cannot  be  seen  from  outside  the  booth  while  he  is  marking 
his  ballot,  and  so  that  no  one  who  is  not  inside  the  guard 
rail  can  come  within  six  feet  of  any  booth.  Both  the  booths 
and  the  ballot-boxes  must  be  in  plain  sight  of  the  election 
officials  and  from  the  rail,  and  the  ballot  boxes,  before  any 
ballot  is  placed  in  them,  must  have  been  inspected  by  the 
judges  of  election  to  see  that  they  are  empty,  and  then  kept 
closed  and  locked  until  the  voting  is  over  and  the  ballots 
are  taken  out  to  be  counted  by  the  election  judges.  A 
voter  may  remain  in  a  booth  only  five  minutes,  if  others  are 
waiting,  and  only  ten  minutes  at  most.  This  requirement 
makes  it  necessary  that  the  voter  shall  first  have  familiar- 
ized himself  with  the  tickets  and  have  made  up  his  mind 
how  he  will  mark  his  ballot.  It  is  possible  that  merely  to 
read  the  ballot  would  take  more  than  the  time  permitted 
the  voter,  and  one  who  was  not  familiar  with  the  ballot 
would  be  unable  to  make  an  intelligent  decision.  For  this 
reason  specimen  ballots  are  prepared  by  the  election  offi- 


VOTING   AND   REGISTRATION  25 

cials,  and  may  be  secured  on  request  before  each  election. 
After  the  ballot  has  been  marked,  the  voter  must  fold  it  so 
that  no  one  can  see  how  it  is  marked,  come  out  of  the 
booth,  and  deposit  the  ballot  in  the  ballot-box.*  To  ex- 
hibit the  marking  on  a  ballot  is  an  offense  punishable  by 
fines,  etc. 

THE    BALLOT. 

The  constitution,  which  provides  that  all  elections  must 
be  by  ballot,  says  nothing  about  the  form  of  the  ballot ; 
and  what  form  of  ballot  must  be  used  at  any  particu- 
lar election  and  how  and  by  whom  it  is  supplied,  de- 
pends upon  the  terms  of  the  particular  statute  governing 
the  election.  The  statutes  to  be  considered  are :  the  school 
law ;  the  township  act ;  the  general  election  law ;  the  cities 
and  villages  act ;  the  Australian  Ballot  Act,  the  exact  title  of 
which  is  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  printing  and  dis- 
tribution of  ballots  at  public  expense,  and  for  the  nomina- 
tions of  candidates  for  public  offices,  to  regulate  the  man- 
ner of  holding  elections,  and  to  enforce  the  secrecy  of  the 
ballot" ;  the  city  election  law,  which  applies  only  to  cities 
and  incorporated  towns  that  have  adopted  it,  and  under 
its  provisions  have  election  commissioners ;  the  voting- 
machine  law ;  and  the  primary  law.  All  voting  for  officers 
done  in  the  city  of  Chicago  is  under  the  city  election  law 
and  also  under  the  Australian  Ballot  Act.  But  a  full  sched- 
ule of  all  elections,  whether  of  officers  or  upon  propositions 
showing  which  one  or  ones  of  the  acts  named  apply  to  each 
election,  would  be  very  voluminous,  though  made  only  for 
the  county  of  Cook,  or  for  one  of  the  smaller  cities  in  Cook 
County,  as,  e.g.,  Evanston. 

The  following  statement  therefore  attempts  only  to  in- 
dicate the  kinds  of  ballot  in  use.  The  voter  is  left  to  the 
statutes  and  to  the  election  officials  and  the  posted  instruc- 
tion cards,  to  determine,  if  necessary,  ahead  of  time,  what 
particular  statute  applies  to  any  particular  election. 

*In  elections  in  Chicago  and  other  territory  under  a  board  of 
election  commissioners,  the  voter  hands  his  folded  ballot  to  a  judge  of 
election  who  places  it  in  the  ballot-box  for  him. 


26  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

To  consider  first,  an  election  at  which  a  proposition  is 
submitted  to  the  people :  when  a  question  is  submitted,  the 
electors  vote  for  or  against  the  formulated  proposition. 
Even  here  there  are  three  forms  of  ballots.  One  is  like 
that  prescribed  by  Section  98  of  the  School  Law.  By  it 
voters  approving  cast  a  ballot  upon  which  is  printed  or 
written  only  the  affirmative  of  the  proposition,  e.g.,  "for 
a  county  normal  school,"  and  those  opposing,  cast  ballots 
upon  which  is  printed  or  written  only  the  negative  of  the- 
proposition,  e.g.,  "against  a  county  normal  school."  The 
second  method  is  illustrated  by  Section  85  of  the  School 
Law.  Where  it  is  followed,  ballots  are  supplied  in  such 
form  that  the  voter  may  make  an  X,  or  cross  mark,  in  the 
square  following  and  opposite  the  proposition  which  he 
favors. 


For  the   establishment  of  a  township   high   school. 

Against  the  establishment  of  a  township  high   school. 

The  third  form  of  ballot  is  the  one  now  most  frequently 
used  for  the  submission  of  questions.  It  is  the  one  provided 
for  the  submission  of  an  amendment  to  the  constitution. 

The  voter  puts  his  X,  or  cross  mark,  in  the  space  op- 
posite the  word  "Yes"  or  No,"  according  as  he  favors  or 
opposes  the  proposition. 

This  proposition  ballot  may  be  printed  upon  the  regular 
ballot  at  the  end ;  or  it  may  be  on  a  separate  piece  of  paper, 
and  is  then  called  the  "little  ballot." 


Proposed  amendment  to  the  Constitution 

Yes 

(Substance  of  amendment) 

No 

The  simplest  form  of  ballot  for  candidates  for  office  is  a 
paper  upon  which  is  either  printed  or  written  the  names  of 
the  office  to  be  filled  and  of  the  persons  voted  for,  for  each 
office.  Ballots  of  this  kind  are  either  printed  at  private 
expense  by  individuals  and  then  used  by  the  electors  whom 
they  please,  or  are  prepared  entirely  by  the  individual 


VOTING   AND    REGISTRATION  27 

elector  either  at  or  before  the  time  of  voting.  This  form 
is  unsatisfactory  where  the  election  is  large  or  the  popula- 
tion dense.  Therefore,  now,  in  all  elections  of  public  offi- 
cers, except  school  trustees,  school  directors,  officers  of 
road  districts  in  counties  not  under  township  organization, 
only  official  ballots  may  be  used,  which  are  printed  at  pub- 
lic expense  and  supplied  by  the  judges  of  election  to  each 
voter  at  the  time  he  votes.  But  the  voter  should  be  sure 
that  the  judge  who  gives  him  the  ballot  puts  his  (judge's) 
initials  upon  the  back  of  the  ballot.  Without  these  initials 
the  ballot  will  not  be  counted. 

The  following  form  taken  from  the  statutes  indicates  a 
usual  pattern  of  the  Australian  ballot. 

C    ^REPUBLICAN  (       ^DEMOCRATIC  C  ^PROHIBITION 

For  Governor  For  Governor  For  Governor 

D     JOSEPH  W.   FIFER      rj     JOHN  M.  PALMER       Q     DAVID   H.  HARTS 

For  Lieutenant  Governor        For  Lieutenant  Governor        For  Lieutenant  Governor 
D     LYMAN    B.   RAY  rj     ARTHUR  J.  BELL         n     JOS.  L.  WHITLOCK 

For  Secretary  of  State  For  Secretary  of  State  For  Secretary  of  State 

D     I.  N.  PEARSON  Q     NEWELL  D.  RICKS     n     JAMES  R.  HANNA 

[And  continuing  in  like  manner  as  to  all  candidates  to 
be  voted  for  at  such  election.] 

Obviously,  the  voter  may  want  to  vote  either  a  straight 
ticket,  i.e.,  for  candidates  all  of  whom  belong  to  one  party, 
or  a  split  ticket,  i.e.,  for  candidates,  some  of  whom  belong 
to  one  and  some  to  another  party.  A  straight  ticket  can  be 
voted  by  putting  a  cross,  or  X  mark,  in  the  circle  at  the 
head  of  the  party  column  and  nowhere  else.  A  split  ticket 
may  be  voted  in  either  of  two  ways.  First,  the  voter  may 
put  an  X  in  the  circle  of  the  party  of  which  he  wished  to 
vote  for  the  most  candidates,  and  an  X  in  the  square  in 
front  of  the  name  of  each  candidate  for  whom  he  wishes  to 
vote  from  each  of  the  other  parties.  This  is  dangerous 
where  there  are  several  persons  to  be  chosen  to  the  same 
office.  For  instance,  if  three  trustees  of  the  University  of 


28  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

Illinois  at  large  are  to  be  elected  and  an  X  is  made  op- 
posite the  name  of  only  one  candidate  outside  the  chosen 
party  column,  since  a  man  may  vote  for  only  three 
and  not  for  four  he  must  further  mark  by  another  X  the 
name  of  each  of  the  two  candidates  which  he  chooses  from 
his  own  party  column.  If  he  fails  to  do  this,  he  will  have 
voted  for  only  one  trustee.  Or  the  voter  may  also  vote 
a  split  ticket  by  putting  his  X  in  the  square  in  front  of 
the  name  of  each  candidate  for  whom  he  votes  and 
ignoring  the  party  circle.  But  here,  also,  care  must  be 
taken  not  to  mark  too  many  candidates  for  the  same  office. 
Further,  a  voter  may  add  to  any  ballot  any  name  of  his  own 
choice  and  vote  for  that  person  by  marking  an  X  in  a  square 
in  front  of  the  name.  In  the  fall  of  1912,  Judge  Ryan 
was  elected  in  this  way  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of 
Judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago,  which  occurred  too 
late  for  any  nominations  to  be  made  or  the  name  of  any 
candidate  to  be  printed  on  the  ballot.  Where  there  is  cumu- 
lative voting,  a  ballot  must  be  carefully  marked.  If  three 
members  of  the  state  House  of  Representatives  are  to  be 
elected,  an  X  placed  in  the  party  circle,  if  three  candi- 
dates only  are  named,  gives  one  vote  to  each  candidate  of 
that  party,  but  is  not  counted  at  all  if  the  party  has  more 
than  three  candidates.  If  two  candidates  only  are  marked, 
it  is  counted  one  and  one-half  vote  for  each  one.  If  one 
only  is  marked,  it  is  counted  as  three  votes  for  him. 

VOTING   MACHINES. 

The  voting  machine  act  may  be  adopted  by  a  majority 
of  the  legal  voters  in  any  voting  unit  at  an  election  called 
after  a  petition  has  been  filed  and  notice  given  as  required 
by  the  act.  Under  it,  the  election  officials  may  buy  or 
lease  a  proper  number  of  voting  machines,  which  can  be 
used  only  after  they  have  been  inspected  and  approved  by 
a  commission  consisting  of  the  secretary  of  state  and  two 
mechanical  experts,  appointed  by  the  governor.  Wherever 
a  voting  machine  is  used,  it  must  be  placed  behind  a  sep- 
arate railing  in  the  part  of  the  room  occupied  by 


VOTING   AND   REGISTRATION  29 

the  election  officials  and  in  plain  view  of  them.  But 
it  must  stand  at  least  three  feet  from  any  wall  or 
partition  and  at  least  four  feet  from  any  table  or  chair, 
and  must  be  so  curtained  that  no  one  can  see  how  the  per- 
son at  the  machine  is  voting.  A  voter  may  remain  behind 
the  curtain  for  one  minute  only.  A  sample,  or  label,  ballot 
in  the  usual  form  is  posted  within  the  booth  formed  by  the 
machine.  In  the  machines  used  in  Chicago  the  party  tickets 
are  arranged  in  cross-wise  rows  and  the  name  of  each  can- 
didate on  the  official  ballot  is  there  printed  and  above  them 
are  horizontal  levers  which  can  be  pulled  down,  one  for 
each  vote  that  may  be  cast;  another  lever  for  voting  a 
straight  ticket  is  placed  at  the  front  of  each  party  row.  To 
vote  a  split  ticket  one  pulls  the  lever  over  each  candidate 
for  whom  he  wishes  to  vote,  and  the  machine  is  so  con- 
trived that  he  cannot  have  at  one  time  more  levers  down 
than  the  number  of  votes  to  which  he  is  entitled.  After  the 
voter  has  set  the  machine  as  he  wishes,  he  swings  a  large 
lever  at  the  top  of  the  machine  from  left  to  right.  By  this 
movement  his  vote  is  recorded,  the  small  levers  spring  back 
to  their  horizontal  position,  and  the  curtain  across  the  front 
of  the  machine,  which  has  hidden  the  person  while  voting, 
is  thrown  back.  Until  the  swing  of  the  large  lever,  the 
voter  may  put  back  small  levers  he  had  pulled  down  and 
pull  down  new  ones  instead. 

REGISTRATION. 

In  large  communities  where  the  election  officials  can- 
not be  personally  acquainted  with  the  qualifications  of 
those  who  come  to  vote,  it  is  necessary  to  prepare  a  list 
of  persons  qualified  to  vote  at  any  election.  Registration 
is  the  method  provided  for  securing  such  a  list.  When 
the  voter  comes  to  the  polling-place  to  vote,  he  announces 
his  name,  one  of  the  judges  of  election  repeats  it  aloud, 
and  his  name  is  checked  on  the  register  before  he  is 
allowed  to  pass  the  rail  to  vote. 

In  all  the  state,  except  territory  within  the  control  of 


30  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN   VOTERS 

city  election  commissioners,  registration  is  highly  desirable 
but  not  necessary  for  any  election.  The  registry  is  first 
made  up  from  the  poll  lists  of. the  last  election  and  the 
personal  information  of  the  judges  at  a  private  meeting  of 
the  judges  held  at  the  polling-place,  on  the  Tuesday,  three 
weeks  before  any  state  election  and  in  each  election  district 
wholly  within  the  limits  of  an  incorporated  city,  for  every 
election  of  any  kind.  It  is  then  revised  on  the  Tuesday  of 
the  week  before  election  at  a  public  meeting,  held  in  each 
polling-place  and  then  are  added  the  names  of  persons  who 
appear  and  show  that  they  are  entitled  to  vote.  But  per- 
sons who  have  failed  to  register  may  swear  in  their  votes. 
If  their  vote  is  challenged,  they  must  prove  their  qualifica- 
tion by  affidavits  sworn  to  by  themselves  and  by  some 
registered  voter  in  the  district  who  is  also  a  householder. 
Chicago  and  Other  Places  under  Election  Commis- 
sioners. Here  the  method  of  registration  is  different,  and 
persons  must  be  registered  in  order  to  vote.  A  general 
registration  occurs  every  two  years  before  the  congres- 
sional election,  on  two  days :  the  Saturday  before  the 
Tuesday  four  weeks  before  election,  and  the  Tuesday  three 
weeks  before  election,  e.g.,  October  5  and  15,  1912.  De- 
tailed arrangements  are  provided  for  the  checking  and  veri- 
fication of  the  registry  and  the  erasure  of  names  found  to 
be  improperly  upon  the  register  in  the  time  before  elec- 
tion ;  and  provisions  are  made  by  which  persons  improperly 
refused  registration  may  have  their  names  added  by  appli- 
cation to  the  proper  election  officials.  The  judges  of  elec- 
tion act  as  a  board  of  registration  and  the  clerks  of  election 
serve  as  canvassers  for  the  purpose  of  verifying  the  regis- 
try, and  in  addition  each  political  party  under  certain  re- 
strictions is  allowed  to  choose  another  canvasser  of  its 
own.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  verifying  the  registry  that 
each  keeper  of  a  boarding-  or  lodging-house  or  hotel  within 
the  territory  of  the  election  commissioners  is  required  to 
make  a  written  statement  in  a  form  prescribed  by  the  com- 
missioners concerning  the  residents  in  his  house. 


VOTING   AND    REGISTRATION  31 

A  person  who  registers  at  each  general  biennial  regis- 
tration need  not  do  so  at  any  other  time,  but  he  must  then 
appear  in  person  on  one  of  the  registration  days  and  under 
oath  answer  the  questions  put  to  him  concerning  his  quali- 
fications as  a  voter. 

No  revision  of  the  registry  is  made  for  any  special  elec- 
tion occurring  in  only  one  part  of  the  city  or  to  fill  a  vacancy 
in  a  single  office  or  at  any  election  where  only  judicial  offi- 
cers are  elected,  but  a  qualified  voter  who  has  moved  into 
the  precinct  and  aside  from  registration  is  entitled  to  vote 
there,  may  be  allowed  to  vote  if,  on  election  day,  he  files 
with  the  judges  of  election  in  his  precinct,  his  own  affidavit 
establishing  his  qualifications,  supported  by  the  affidavit  of 
at  least  one  householder  who  is  a  registered  voter  of  the 
precinct.  This  is  the  only  case  of  swearing-in  votes  under 
the  city  election  law. 

For  each  other  election  intervening  between  the  con- 
gressional elections,  one  day  of  registration  is  provided  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  did  not  register  at  the  last  general 
registration ;  the  Tuesday  three  weeks  before  election.  Fol- 
lowing this  registration  day  the  register  is  revised  and 
verified  in  the  same  way  as  after  a  general  registration. 

NOMINATIONS  AND  PRIMARY  ELECTIONS. 

Where  no  official  ballot  is  supplied,  as  at  the  elections  of 
school  officers  (except  where  there  are  elective  boards  of 
education),  no  definite  system  of  choosing  candidates  ahead 
of  election  time  is  necessary.  A  voter  may  write  on  his 
own  ballot  the  name  of  any  person  for  whom  he  washes  to 
vote,  or  frequently  a  group  of  persons  before  election  time 
agree  upon  candidates  suitable  to  them  and  have  some  bal- 
lots printed  with  the  names  of  their  candidates.  This  group 
gathering  is  the  simplest  form  of  caucus.  Neighborhood 
interest  in  the  local  matter  involved  in  the  election  is  de- 
pended upon  to  accomplish  a  natural  selection  of  a  few 
candidates  for  office  at  election. 

But  whenever  there  is  an  official  ballot,  the  name  to  be 


32  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

printed  upon  it  must  be  determined  in  advance.  The  selec- 
tion of  these  candidates  is  done  by  nomination,  of  which 
there  are  three  methods: 

1.  The  Caucus  Method.     The  caucus,  or  party  conven- 
tion  method,   is  applied  in  the   nomination  of  candidates 
to  elective  boards  of  education  and  of  town  officers  in  town- 
ships that  are  not  co-extensive  with  a  city,  incorporated 
town  or  village.    This  nomination  by  party  caucus  or  con- 
vention is  recognized  by  the  Australian  Ballot  Act.     The 
delegates  to  the  party  convention  or  caucus  that'  makes 
the  nomination  may  be  elected  at  a  primary.     Candidates 
for  election  of  such  town  offices  may  also  be  nominated 
by  nominating-petition  as  independent  candidates  under  the 
Australian  Ballot  Act. 

2.  The  Primary  Election  Method.     If  the  candidate  for 
any  other  office  than  these  is  to  represent  a  political  party, 
he  must  be  selected  by  primary  election  under  the  primary 
election  laws,  passed  in  1910  and  since  amended.     Under 
these  laws  any  group  that  is  recognized  as  a  political  party 
of  the  state,  county,  city  or  village  must  have  cast  two  per 
cent  of  the  total  vote  at  the  last  general  election  in  the  state, 
or  its  county,  city  or  village,  as  the  case  may  be. 

One  of  the  primary  laws  has  to  do  with  the  nominations 
of  members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  the  election  of 
senatorial  committeemen  of  each  party.  The  other  is  a 
general  primary  election  law.  Under  both,-  candidates  for 
office  are  nominated  directly  by  the  vote  at  the  primary 
election.  An  exception  exists  in  the  case  of  candidates 
for  president  of  the  United  States,  as  to  whom  a  vote 
is  taken  which  is  only  advisory  and  does  not  nominate. 
There  is  another  exception  in  the  case  of  candidates 
for  presidential  electors  and  for  trustees  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  both  of  whom  are  nominated  not  by  primary  vote 
but  by  state  party  conventions. 

Each  political  party  has  a  national  nominating  conven- 
tion and  a  state  and  a  county  convention,  and  also  state 
central,  county,  congressional,  city,  and  precinct  or  (in 


VOTING   AND    REGISTRATION  33 

cities  of  over  200,000)  ward  central  committees.  State 
central  committeemen,  a  precinct  committeeman  from  each 
precinct  or  ward  and  senatorial  committeemen  of  each 
party  are  elected  at  the  primary  elections,  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  other  committees  and  conventions  named 
is  controlled  by  the  primary  law.  The  county  central  com- 
mittee consists  of  the  precinct  and  ward  committeemen 
from  the  county.  The  county  convention  is  that  meeting  of 
the  county  central  committee  held  at  the  county  seat  on  the 
first  Monday  after  the  April  primary.  The  county  conven- 
tion selects  delegates  to  the  party's  state  and  congressional 
conventions.  The  state  convention,  which  is  held  on  the 
Friday  after  the  county  convention,  adopts  the  party  plat- 
form besides  nominating  candidates  for  presidential  electors 
and  trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  congres- 
sional convention,  which  is  held  on  the  Wednesday  after 
the  county  convention,  chooses  delegates  to  the  national 
nominating  convention*  and  may  make  recommendations 
to  the  state  convention  concerning  presidential  electors  to 
be  nominated  from  its  district.  The  various  committees 
of  each  political  party  are  responsible  to  the  party  for  its 
organization,  conduct  and  campaigns. 

No  person's  name  is  printed  upon  the  primary  ballot  of 
any  party  unless  a  proper  primary  petition  has  been  filed 
in  his  behalf.  A  primary  petition  is  a  different  thing  from  a 
nominating  petition.  The  primary  law  determines  the  time 
and  place  of  its  filing  and  the  number  of  signatures  neces- 
sary, which  vary  with  the  office  of  which  nomination  is 
sought.  It  should  l>e  noted  that  at  the  regular  primary 
election  in  each  even-numbered  year,  a  space  is  left  at  the 
bottom  of  the  primary  ballot,  and  in  this  space  may  be 
written  or  attached  the  name  of  some  person  for  precinct 

"This  statement  is  in  accordance  with  the  primary  law  as  it  ex- 
isted in  1912  and  is  not  an  opinion  as  to  the  effect  of  the  apparently 
contradictory  provisions  of  the  1913  amendment,  which  re-enacted  the 
provision  that  delegates  and  alternates  to  the  national  nominating  con- 
ventions should  be  selected  by  the  congressional  conventions  of  each 
party.  But  in  a  preceding  section  of  the  law,  this  same  amendment 
reads  that  an  election  shall  be  held  "for  the  purpose  of  electing  dele- 
gates and  alternates  to  the  national  nominating  conventions." 


34  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

committeeman.  But  in  cities  of  over  200,000  inhabitants  no 
precinct  committeemen  are  elected.  Instead,  a  ward  com- 
mitteeman is  elected  at  large  from  each  ward. 

In  1913  the  general  primary  law  was  amended  to  allow 
women  to  vote  at  the  primaries  "for  the  nomination  of  can- 
didates for  such  offices"  as  they  may  vote  for  at  the  regular 
elections.  But  there  is  no  other  provision  extending 
women's  right  to  vote  at  primaries  and  the  amendment 
nowhere  says  that  women  may  vote  for  members  of  any 
party  committee  or  delegates  to  any  party  convention. 

The  same  qualifications  are  necessary  to  vote  at  primary 
elections  as  at  other  elections.  In  Chicago  and  other  cities 
with  boards  of  election  commissioners,  registration  is  abso- 
lutely necessary.  The  general  primary  law  makes  additional 
requirements.  The  primary  elections  of  all  parties  occur  on 
the  same  day  and  are  held  at  the  same  polling-place  in  each 
precinct.  Separate  ballots  for  each  party  are  provided  by 
the  election  officials  in  charge.  A  voter  must  tell  with 
what  party  he  is  connected  and  can  have  the  ballot  of  only 
one  party.  It  should  be  emphasized  that  no  one  can  vote 
at  a  primary  if  he  has  signed  a  primary  petition  of  a  can- 
didate from  any  other  party  at  this  election,  or  if  he  has 
signed  the  nominating  petition  of  any  independent  candi- 
date to  be  voted  on  at  the  same  election  and  for  the  same 
office  for  which  party  nominations  are  being  made  at  that 
primary.  And  he  cannot  vote  if  within  the  two  years  be- 
fore, he  has  voted  at  a  primary  election  as  a  voter  of  any 
other  political  party.  The  only  exception  to  the  two-year 
rule  is  made  where  the  voter  wishes  to  vote  in  the  primary 
of  a  purely  local  political  party  recognized  only  within  his 
city,  town  or  village.  For  example,  a  man  will  not  be  pre- 
vented from  voting  at  a  village  primary  as  a  village 
"Liberal"  because  within  the  preceding  two  years  he  has 
voted  at  another  primary  as  a  Democrat  or  a  Republican. 

A  person  does  not  need  to  vote  at  the  primary  in  order 
to  vote  at  a  regular  election.  A  party  choice  at  the  primar- 
ies cannot  limit  the  voter  at  the  regular  election,  where  the 


VOTING   AND    REGISTRATION  35 

names  of  candidates  from  all  parties  are  on  one  ballot. 
Many  men  have  been  unwilling  to  vote  at  primaries  because 
of  the  two-year  rule  and  the  other  partisan  requirements. 
But  the  primaries  are  important  because  unless  good  can- 
didates are  nominated,  good  officials  will  not  be  elected. 

3.  The  Nominating  Petition.  If  the  candidate  is  to  repre- 
sent an  independent  group  of  voters  or  one  whose  vote  at 
the  last  general  election  was  too  small  for  it  to  be  recog- 
nized as  a  political  party  by  the  primary  law,  the  nomina- 
tion must  be  by  petition  under  the  Australian  Ballot  Act 
of  1891.  These  nominating  petitions  must  be  signed  by 
qualified  voters.  And  the  requirements  as  to  number  of 
signatures,  time  and  place  of  filing  vary  under  the  act  and 
depend  on  the  office  for  which  the  candidate  is  to  be  chosen. 
It  is  especially  to  be  noted  that  no  person  who  has  voted  at 
a  primary  at  which  candidates  were  chosen  to  run  for  the 
same  office  at  the  same  election  as  the  petition  candidate, 
can  sign  such  a  petition ;  nor  can  one  person  sign  more 
than  one  primary  petition  for  each  office  for  the  same  elec- 
tion. 

WOMEN  AS  "QUALIFIED  VOTERS." 

Citizens  have  certain  rights  and  privileges  by  reason 
of  being  voters.  It  is  provided  that  certain  offices  can  be 
filled  only  by  "a  duly  qualified  elector"  of  the  district. 
Furthermore,  only  duly  qualified  electors,  may,  as  a  rule, 
sign  petitions  for  the  submission , of  a  question  to  a  refer- 
endum or  for  the  calling  of  a  special  election,  such  as  one 
to  determine  the  question  of  a  bond  issue  or  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  park  system.  In  certain  instances  these  petitions 
must  be  signed  by  a  specified  number  of  qualified  electors; 
in  others  a  definite  per  cent  of  the  voters  in  the  affected 
district  is  required. 

"Obviously  the  question  of  whether  or  not  women  are 
eligible  to  serve  as  judges  and  clerks  of  election  and  to 
sign  these  petitions  and  of  whether  they  shall  be  counted 
in  a  district's  number  of  qualified  voters  is  of  great  impor- 
tance. Unfortunately  no  satisfactory  answer  has  as  yet 


36  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

been  made  to  the  question ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  state 
the  extent  to  which  the  suffrage  act  of  1913  and  the  right 
to  vote  for  particular  officers  and  on  certain  questions  men- 
tioned in  the  school  law  entitles  women  to  participate  in 
those  additional  privileges  of  "duly  qualified  electors." 

REFERENCES. 

Constitution  of  Illinois,  1870,  Article  VII,  "Suffrage." 
Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois   (1911),  Chap.  46,  "Elections", 
including: 

General  Election  Law. 

City  Election  Law,  If  155  ff. 

Australian  Ballot  Law,  If  288  ff. 

Voting  Machine  Law,  If  430  ff. 

Primary  Election  Laws,  If  452  ff.  and  II  532  ff. 
Illinois  Laws  of  1913. 

Amendments  to  Primary  Laws,  pp.  310,  330  and  331. 

Woman's  Suffrage  Law,  p.  333. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GOVERNMENT    OF    CITIES    AND   INCORPORATED    TOWNS 
AND  VILLAGES 

CHICAGO 

The  government  of  Chicago  rests  in  the  hands  of  officers 
elected  directly  by  the  people  of  the  city  and  responsible  to 
the  people.  But  the  powers  that  may  be  exercised  by  a  city 
government  are  only  those  delegated  or  allowed  to  the  city 
government  by  the  state  government.  These  powers  are 
conferred  by  a  number  of  statutes,  which,  taken  together, 
are  often  called  the  city  charter. 

The  government  of  Chicago,  as  of  every  other  city,  is 
charged  with  the  duty  of  preserving  the  peace  and  the 
health  of  the  community  and  has  charge  of  local  improve- 
ments ;  it  decides  whether  there  shall  be  streets  or  parks  and 
where  and  how  they  shall  be  laid  out  and  improved  and 
makes  improvements ;  it  controls  the  use  of  the  streets,  de- 
ciding how  long  teams  may  stand  in  them,  whether  children 
may  play  in  them,  e.g.,  in  ordinances  concerning  hoop-rolling 
and  roller-skating;  it  determines  what  kind  of  signs  shall  be 
hung  or  carried  in  the  streets;  it  controls  the  buildings  put 
up  in  the  city  and  may  regulate  their  construction ;  it  controls 
the  water,  sewer,  garbage,  gas,  electric  light,  telephone  and 
street  car  service.  Water  and  sewer  services  are  rendered 
directly  by  Chicago  itself;  telephone,  gas,  electric  light  and 
street  car  services  are  furnished  by  separate  public  utility 
companies,  each  of  which  has  been  subjected  to  some  regula- 
tion by  the  city,  especially  in  the  matters  of  the;  charge  to  be 
made.*  In  other  instances — e.g.,  garbage — the  city  has  hired 
some  company  to  do  the  service  free  of  charge  to  the  indi- 

*The  legislature  in  1913  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  public  utili- 
ties commission,  as  a  state  administrative  board,  to  be  appointed  by  the 
governor,  and  to  take  over  the  regulation  of  street  car,  telephone,  tele- 
graph and  many  other  utilities.  This  will  diminish  the  power  of  the 
cities  in  this  respect.  See  p.  82. 

37 


38  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

vidual,  and  the  pay  to  the  company  ha's  been  made  from  the 
city  treasury.  The  city  has  power  to  regulate  and  license 
peddling  and  saloons  and  some  other  particular  trades  or 
occupations.  These  are  all  matters  in  which  women  are  in- 
terested. Many  of  them,  moreover,  are  matters  where  it  has 
been  hoped  that  women's  experience  would  be  of  particular 
value.  Women  may  vote  for  those  city  officers  that  are 
elective,  namely,  mayor,  city  clerk,  city  treasurer,  aldermen, 
judges,  clerks  and  bailiff  of  the  Municipal  Court.* 

The  task  of  handling  the  work  of  the  city  is  divided  into 
three  large  divisions.  The  first  is  that  of  the  City  Council,  or 
the  legislative  department.  The  second  is  that  of  the  ex- 
ecutive officers,  of  whom  the  mayor  is  the  most  important. 
The  third  is  that  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago,  or  the 
judicial  department. 

Legislative  Department.  The  city  legislative  depart- 
ment, or  City  Council,  consists  of  the  mayor  and  members 
called  "aldermen."  Chicago  has  seventy  aldermen,  which  is 
the  highest  number  that  any  city  is  allowed  to  have.  A 
city  is  divided  into  wards,  and  there  are  two  aldermen  from 
each  ward.  In  Chicago,  the  mayor's  term  of  office  is  four 
years.  The  term  of  the  aldermen  has  been  two  years,  and 
one  alderman  has  been  elected  each  year  from  each  ward. 
At  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  an  act  was  passed 
making  the  term  of  office  of  Chicago  aldermen  and  city  clerk 
and  treasurer  four  years,  like  that  of  the  mayor.  It  has, 
however,  to  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  of  Chicago 
before  it  will  take  effect.  If  it  is  approved  and  each  alder- 
man serves  four  years,  each  Chicago  ward  will  then  elect 
one  of  its  aldermen  every  two  years.  City  elections  in 
Chicago  always  occur  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  e.g., 
April  7,  1914.  This  is  the  same  date  as  for  other  cities  that 
include  one  or  more  whole  townships.  The  primary  for  the 
city  election  is  the  last  Tuesday  in  February,  e.g.,  February 
24,  1914.  The  February,  1914  primary  will  be  the  first  regu- 
lar election  in  Chicago  at  which  women  may  vote. 

•See  p.    92. 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  39 

City  Council.  The  city  council  as  a  whole  must  enact  ordi- 
nances for  the  government  of  the  city,  levy  taxes  for  city 
purposes,  and  make  appropriations  to  meet  city  expenses. 
Each  alderman  has  one  vote,  but  the  mayor  can  vote  only 
in  case  of  a  tie.  Most  of  the  work  of  the  council  is  first 
considered  in  committees,  of  which  only  aldermen  are 
members,  and  therefore  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  com- 
mittees indicates  the  general  work  of  the  council.  The  stand- 
ing committees  of  the  Chicago  council  usually  consist  of 
fifteen  members  each.  Those  for  1912-1913  were  :  Finance  : 
Local  Transportation;  Harbors;  Wharves  and  Bridges; 
Gas,  Oil  and  Electric  Light;  Local  Industries;  Judiciary, 
State  Legislation,  Elections  and  Rules ;  Streets  and  Alleys, 
Taxation  and  Street  Nomenclature;  License;  Buildings  and 
City  Hall;  Schools,  Fire,  Police  and  Civil  Service;  Health; 
Water.  . 

There  was  also  a  number  of  smaller  or  special  commit- 
tees, called  select  committees,  viz.,  Track  Elevation;  Compen- 
sation; Bathing  Beaches  and  Recreation  Piers;  Special  Park 
Commission. 

The  council  may  also  require  the  city  treasurer  to  de- 
posit the  city  funds  in  responsible  banks  of  its  choice.  It 
divides  the  city  into  wards  upon  the  basis  of  equality  of 
population  with  half  as  many  wards  as  the  city  has  alder- 
men, i.e.,  thirty-five  wards  for  Chicago.  The  council 
has  some  authority  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city  to  enforce 
quarantines  and  to  protect  public  health.  It  is  a  check  upon 
the  power  of  the  mayor,  because  by  a  two-thirds  vote  it  can 
pass  ordinances  over  his  veto  and  because  his  appointment 
of  members  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  of  some  other 
officers  must  be  consented  to  by  the  council. 

The  City  Council  of  Chicago  meets  regularly  in  the 
Council  Chamber  in  the  City  Hall,  on  Monday  of  each 
week. 


40  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

Executive  Department. 

The  Mayor.  The  chief  executive  officer  of  Chicago  is  the 
mayor.  In  other  cities  his  term  of  office  is  two  years,  but  in 
Chicago  it  is  four  years.  The  mayor,  besides  his  strictly 
executive  duties,  is  the  presiding  officer  of  the  council ;  has 
power  to  veto  ordinances,  which  can  be  passed  over  his 
veto  by  a  two-thirds  vote ;  and  is  required  from  time  to  time 
and  at  least  once  a  year  to  recommend  to  the  City  Council 
what  ordinances  he  thinks  the  city  needs.  As  an  executive, 
he  himself  or  through  executive  departments  should  enforce 
the  ordinances  of  the  council  and  preserve  peace  in  the,  city ; 
and  to  preserve  peace,  the  mayor  has  the  same  authority  in 
the  city  that  the  sheriff  has  in  the  county,  and  may  call  to 
his  assistance  every  man  over  eighteen  years  of  age. 

Of  the  executive  officers,  the  mayor,  the  city  clerk,  who 
is  the  clerk  of  the  council  and  the  custodian  of  the  city 
ordinances  and  records,  and  the  city  treasurer  are  required 
by  state  law  to  be  elective,  but  practically  all  other  officers 
and  heads  of  executive  departments  are  appointed  by  the 
mayor;  his  appointments,  however,  must  be  concurred  in 
by  the  council.  Among  those  appointed  by  the  mayor  are: 

Secretary  to  the  mayor,  who  has  to  perform  most  of  the 
routine  work  for  the  mayor. 

City  collector,  who  receives  all  fees  payable  to  the  city, 
and  who  must  keep  accurate  accounts  of  them  and  daily 
turn  over  to  the  treasurer  the  money  he  receives.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Department  of  Finance. 

City  comptroller,  who  is  the  city's  financial  agent  and  has 
general  charge  over  all  officers  who  either  receive  or  pay  out 
city  money.  He  audits  the  books  of  such  officers  and  has 
charge  of  deeds,  mortgages  and  similar  documents  belonging 
to  the  city.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Department  of 
Finance. 

Business  agent,  who  has  charge  of  the  city's  supplies  and 
is  its  general  purchasing  agent. 

Commissioner  of  public  works,  who  has  charge  of  the 
construction  of  public  improvements,  of  the  use  and  the  repair 


GOVERNMENT  OF   CfTl/lS  41 

of  streets  and  alleys,  and  of  permits  for  connection  with 
city  sewers  or  drains.  He  has  supervision  of  the  work  of 
the  following  officers,  each  of  whom  is  employed  under  the 
city  Civil  Service  Commission,  upon  the  merit  basis. 

( 1 )  The   superintendent   of    streets,    who    has    especial 
charge  of  the  city's  streets  and  alleys  and  the  duty 
of  inspecting  them.     He  works  under  the  commis- 
sioner,  but  must  make    weekly   separate   reports  to 
the  aldermen  of  the  separate  wards. 

(2)  Assistant,  second  assistant,  and  third   assistant  su- 
perintendent of  streets. 

(3)  Superintendent  of  water,  who  assesses  and  collects 
water  rates  and  assessments. 

(4)  Superintendent  of  sewers. 

(5)  City  engineer. 

(6)  Superintendent  of  maps,  who  examines  maps  of  pro- 
posed subdivisions,  keeps  maps  of  all  of  the  city,  and 
has  charge  of  matters  concerning  street  numbers. 

Deputy  commissioner  of  public  ivorks. 

City  electrician,  who  has  charge  of  the  fire  alarm  serv- 
ice, of  the  police  telephone  service,  of  public  lighting,  and 
of  other  matters  pertaining  to  electricity  in  which  the  city 
is  interested,  including  the  inspection  of  all  electric  wiring 
that  is  installed  within  the  city  limits.  The  city  electrician, 
with  another  member  appointed  by  him,  constitutes  the 
board  of  examiners  of  moving-picture  operators. 

Board  of  Examiners  of  Stationary  Engineers,  consisting 
of  three  practical  engineers,  who  examine  and  pass  upon  can- 
didates for  licenses  as  stationary  engineers. 

Harbor  master,  who  has  control  and  supervision  of  the 
bridges  and  of  the  city  life  boats.  Under  the  commissioner 
of  public  works  he  has  general  charge  of  the  harbor  on  be- 
half of  the  city. 

Assistant  harbor  master. 

Assistant  vessel  dispatcher. 

City  physician,  who  may  be  called  on  to  examine  persons 
who  are  in  charge  of  the  police,  dependent  or  delinquent 


42  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

children  in  the  Juvenile  Court,  city  employees,  and  persons 
injured  because  of  alleged'  defects  in  city's  sidewalks, 
bridges  or  other  public  structures. 

Commissioner  of  buildings,  who  passes  upon  the  plans  of 
buildings  to  be  erected  in  the  city,  and  inspects  those  in  the 
course  of  construction ;  who  has  supervision  of  billboards, 
elevators  and  fire-escapes,  and  who  must  make  annual  inspec- 
tion of  theaters,  churches  and  other  public  gathering-places. 

Fire  marshal,  who  is  the  head  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Superintendent  of  police,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Police 
Department,  which  is  charged  with  enforcing  within  the  city 
both  state  laws  and  city  ordinances.  This  department  also 
has  charge  of  the  inspection  and  licensing  of  vehicles. 

Corporation  counsel,  who  is  the  city's  lawyer  and  advisor- 
in-chief,  although  some  departments  have  individual  depart- 
mental attorneys  and  several  'more  have  law  clerks. 

Prosecuting  attorney,  who  prosecutes  criminal  and  quasi- 
criminal  cases  for  infringement  of  city  ordinances. 

Board  of  Education*  consisting  of  twenty-one  members, 
seven  of  whom  are  appointed  each  year.  The  Board  of  Edu- 
cation has  full  charge  of  Chicago  schools,  including  its  Teach- 
ers' College,  but  it  cannot  buy  land  or  erect  buildings  without 
the  consent  of  the  council,  which  also  levies  the  local  taxes 
for  school  purposes. 

Inspector  of  gas  and  gas  meters 

Inspector  of  oils. 

Inspector  of  boilers  and  steam  plants. 

Inspector  of  weights  and  measures. 

Library  directors,  consisting  of  nine  directors,  appointed 
three  each  year.  Not  more  than  one  alderman  may  be  library 
director  at  any  time.  The  term  of  office  begins  on  the  first  of 
July  after  appointment.  These  directors  have  charge  of  the 
Chicago  Public  Library,  which  is  supported  by  a  tax  levied  by 
the  City  Council. 

Market  master,  who  is  in  charge  of  each  of  the  city's  public 

*See  p.    68. 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  43 

markets — one  on  West  Randolph  Street,  west  of  the  Chicago 
River,  and  another  on  Jefferson  Street. 

Smoke  inspector. 

Subway  commissioner. 

Inspectors  of  House  of  Correction,  i.e.,  Brideivell,  of 
whom  three  are  appointed  by  the  mayor,  one  each  year,  for 
a  term  of  three  years  each.  The  mayor  is  ex-officio  an  ad- 
ditional member  of  the  board  of  inspectors. 

Superintendent  of  the  Hous.e  of  Correction,  to  which  per- 
sons may  be  sentenced  by  any  court  in  the  county.  The 
inmates  are  kept  at  work,  and  two  houses  of  shelter  for 
girls  and  a  school  for  boys  are  maintained  there.  The 
mayor's  appointment  of  the  superintendent  is  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  board  of  inspectors,  under  whom  the  su- 
perintendent works  and  by  whom  he  may  be  removed  at 
any  time.  The  superintendent's  regular  term  is  three 
years. 

Traction  expert. 

Commissioner  of  health,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Health.  This  department  has  charge  of  protecting 
the  city  from  epidemics  of  disease.  It  has  a  sanitary  depart- 
ment to  enforce  the  city's  sanitary  regulations  with  regard  to 
public  and  private  buildings,  residences,  places  of  work,  mar- 
kets, bakeries,  factories,  etc.  It  also  inspects  and  licenses  hos- 
pitals. Among  the  officers  of  the  department  are  the  follow- 
ing, all  selected  by  the  city  civil  service  system : 

(1)  An  assistant  commissioner  of  health. 

(2)  A  secretary  of  Department  of  Health. 

(3)  A  registrar  of  vital  statistics. 

(4)  A  director  of  laboratories. 

(5)  A  chief  food  inspector. 

(6)  Medical,  meat,  milk  and  ice  inspectors. 
(7>  Disinfectors. 

(8)   Bath  and  hospital  attendants. 
Inspector  of  fish. 

Municipal  Tuberculosis  Sanitarium.  The  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  the  Municipal  Tuberculosis  Sanitarium,  organ- 


44  HANDBOOK    FOR    II'OMKX    VOTERS 

ized  to  supply  free  nursing,  care,  attendance  and  medicine 
to  persons  afflicted  with  tuberculosis,  and  to  undertake 
measures  to  stamp  out  tuberculosis.  There  are  three  direc- 
tors, one  appointed  each  year  for.  a  term  of  three  years ;  at 
least  one  of  the  three  must  be  a  member  of  the  health  de- 
partment, and  is  usually  the  health  commissioner.  The 
directors  have  exclusive  control  of  the  sanitarium  and  its 
work  and  all  money  belonging  to  its  fund.  The  money  is 
held  by  the  city  treasurer,  who  pays  it  out  upon  order  from 
the  directors.  They  may  receive  gifts  for  the  sanitarium, 
but  at  least  once  a  month  must  report  the  gifts  received  and 
turn  over  donated  money  to  the  city  treasurer.  A  one  mill 
tax  is  provided,  but  required,  before  the  original  assessment, 
a  vote  of  the  people  of  the  city.  The  Chicago  Municipal 
Tuberculosis  Sanitarium  is  now  in  process  of  construction, 
but  the  directors  have  already  established  ten  dispensaries, 
where  clinics  are  held,  conducted  by  doctors  selected  by 
the  city  civil  service  examinations.  There  is  also  a  staff  of 
field  nurses,  selected  in  the  same  way,  who  work  in  the 
dispensaries  and  also  in  the  homes  of  the  patients.  The 
directors,  who  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services, 
must  inspect  the  sanitarium  at  least  twice  each  year  and 
must  make  an  annual  report  to  the  City  Council  by  June 
of  each  year. 

City  Civil  Service  Commission,  which  classifies  city  em- 
ployees who  are  not  elective  or  exempt  from  the  act  and 
conducts  examinations  for  the  selection  of  qualified  candi- 
dates for  employment.  The  principal  employments  exempt 
are  the  heads  of  departments.  There  are  three  commission- 
ers. The  term  of  office  is  three  years  and  one  commissioner 
is  appointed  by  the  mayor  each  year.  No  more  than  two 
commissioners  may  be  of  the  same  political  party. 

Board  of  Local  Improvements,  which  consists  of  five  mem- 
bers, all  appointed  by  the  mayor,  who  choose  from  their 
own  members  a  president,  a  vice-president  and  an  assistant 
secretary.  This  board  has  preliminary  consideration  of  any 
proposed  improvement,  such  as  sidewalk,  or  sewer,  or 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  45 

waterpipe  extension,  estimates  the  cost,  and  recommends 
action  to  the  council.  The  superintendent  of  special  assess- 
ments, selected  under  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  is 
ex-offtcio  secretary  of  the  board.  This  type  of  board  is  con- 
fined to  cities  of  over  100,000  people — that  is,  to  Chicago. 
In  cities  of  from  50,000  to  100,000  people,  the  board  con- 
sists of  the  commissioner  of  public  works,  the  superintend- 
ent of  streets,  the  superintendent  of  special  assessments, 
the  superintendent  of  sewers,  and  the  city  engineers. 

Special  Park  Commission.  The  Special  Park  Commis- 
sion, often  classified  as  a  council  committee,  has  charge  of 
the  city  parks  and  recreation  places  that  are  not  under  the 
control  and  management  of  some  independent  park  district. 
It  now  maintains  seventy  small  parks,  most  of  which  are 
equipped  with  wading-pools  or  other  playground  facilities ; 
at  least  eighteen  playgrounds ;  and  three  bathing  beaches 
and  swimming  pools.  The  superintendent  of  parks,  who  is 
also  acting- forester  and  in  charge  of  all  street  tree-planting, 
and  the  superintendent  of  playgrounds  and  bathing- 
beaches,  both  selected  by  the  City  Civil  Service  Commis- 
sion, are  subject  to  the  control  and  management  of  the 
Special  Park  Commission  and  report  to  it.  The  Special 
Park  Commission  itself  was  created  under  a  resolution 
of  the  Chicago  City  Council,  passed  November  6,  1899. 
It  provided  for  a  committee,  which  is  now  the  commis- 
sion, to  consist  of  nine  aldermen,  three  from  each  division 
of  the  city,  and  of  six  citizens  holding  no  official  position, 
among  whom  there  should  be  one  lawyer,  one  civil  en- 
gineer, one  landscape  gardener  or  architect,  and  one  phy- 
sician or  sanitary  engineer,  all  to  be  appointed  by  the 
mayor,  and  of  three  members,  appointed  one  each,  by  the 
South  Park  Commissioners,  the  Lincoln  Park  Commis- 
sionejs,  and  the  West  Park  Commissioners  from  their  own 
members  or  employees,  and  further  of  not  more  than  six 
additional  members  appointed  by  the  commission  itself. 
The  entire  commission  is  appointed  every  year  and  makes 
an  annual  report  to  the  mayor  and  the  City  Council.  The 


46  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

members  of  the  commission  receive  no  compensation  for 
their  services,  but  many  members  have  accepted  reappoint- 
ment  through  several  terms.  For  the  year  ending  De- 
cember 31,  1912,  this  commission  spent  $119,287.05  in  park 
and  recreation  maintenance  and  $10,000  in  addition  was 
used  for  the  construction  of  a  swimming  pool  at  Washing- 
ton Heights. 

Besides  these  officers  and  commissions  regularly  ap- 
pointed by  the  mayor,  special  commissions  are  from  time 
to  time  created  for  special  or  temporary  purposes  by  the 
council  and  appointed  by  the  mayor. 

Judicial  Department.  The  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago 
constitutes  its  judicial  department.  It  takes  the  place  of  city 
courts,  justices  of  the  peace  and  police  magistrates  in  other 
cities.  Besides  having  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  that  arise 
under  city  ordinances,  it  has  jurisdiction  in  cases  arising 
under  the  state  law.  But  this  court  can  deal  only  with  cer- 
tain classes  of  cases  specifically  enumerated  in  the  Munici- 
pal Court  Act.*  The  organization  of  the  court  is  described 
in  connection  with  the  other  courts.f  As  a  local  court 
it  is  largely  important  because  of  its  attempt  to  treat  the 
cases  brought  before  it  from  a  social  as  well  as  from  a 
legal  point  of  view.  The  Court  of  Domestic  Relations,  the 
Morals  Court  and  the  Speeders'  Court  are  particular 
branches  of  the  Municipal  Court  to  which  all  cases  of  the 
particular  type  named  are  respectively  assigned. 

Board  of  Election  Commissioners.  Chicago  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  cities^  have  adopted  an  act  called  the  "City  Elec- 
tion Act,"  by  which  all  election  matters  are  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  board  of  three  commissioners,  appointed  by  the  county 
judge,  one  each  year,  with  the  requirement  that  there  shall 
always  be  one  commissioner  from  each  of  the  two  leading  par- 

*The  1913  session  of  the  legislature  passed  a,  new  act  with  regard 
to  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago,  and  this  act  will  have  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  a  vote  of  the  people  of  the  city  for  approval.  See  Illinois 
Laics  of  1913,  p.  213  ff. 

tSee  p.   91. 

|The  following  cities  have  adopted  this  act:  Chicago,  Danville, 
East  St.  Louis,  Galesburg,  Peoria,  Rockford  and  Springfield, 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  47 

ties  in  the  city.  They  have  full  charge  of  all  elections,  regular 
or  special,  within  their  territory,  and  prepare  and  supply  ballot- 
boxes,  ballots,  booths  and  other  election  paraphernalia.  They 
divide  their  territory  into  precincts,  each  containing  as  nearly 
as  possible  300  voters.  Whenever  the  number  of  voters 
in  any  precinct  reaches  450,  a  rearrangement  must  be  made. 
In  Chicago  this  occurs  frequently ;  but  after  each  rearrange- 
ment the  election  commissioners  issue  precinct  maps  and  lists 
of  registered  voters  by  precincts.  In  each  precinct  the  elec- 
tion commissioners  choose  a  place  of  registration  and  a  polling- 
place  which  may  not  be  in  any  building  where  liquor  is  sold ; 
and  for  each  precinct,  once  each  year  and  at  least  sixty  days 
before  the  first  election  at  which  they  are  to  serve,  they  ap- 
point three  judges  of  election — electors  who  must  be  house- 
holders and  entitled  to  vote  at  the  next  general  election  and 
not  candidates  for  office — and  two  clerks  of  election  with 
the  same  qualifications  except  that  they  need  not  be  house- 
holders. (As  there  is  only  one  householder  for  each  houses 
hold,  and  he  is  usually  the  husband  or  father  of  the  family,  com- 
paratively few  women  are  qualified  to  be  judges  of  election ;  but 
women  may  probably  be  clerks  of  election  as  easily  as  men.) 
The  judges  and  the  clerks  of  election  must  be  apportioned 
by  a  prescribed  scheme  between  the  leading  political  parties. 
Persons  chosen  as  judges  and  clerks  of  election  are  notified 
and  required  to  appear  in  order  that  their  qualifications  may 
be  determined.  The  term  of  service  is  one  year,  and  persons 
may  not  be  required  to  serve,  again  during  the  following  three 
years. 

OTHER  FORMS  OF  CITY  GOVERNMENT. 

Commission  Form  of  Government.  The  experiment  of 
democratic  government  seems  to  have  been  less  successful 
in  American  cities  than  in  any  of  the  other  governmental 
divisions.  The  suggestion  has  been  made  that  a  form  of 
government  dividing  the  powers  among  three  divisions, 
the  legislative,  the  executive  and  the  judicial,  which  may 
be  adapted  to  the  state  and  the  federal  government  is 


48  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    I'OTERS 

less  suited  to  the  functions  of  municipal  government,  which 
should  be  largely  dominated  by  the  principle  of  sound  busi- 
ness administration.  The  division  of  responsibility  is  thought 
to  result  in  lowered  efficiency.  To  remedy  this  weakness  the 
so-called  "commission  form  of  government"  has  been  au- 
thorized for  any  city  of  not  more  than  ,200,000  which  votes 
to  adopt  it.  The  following  cities  have  already  so  voted : 

Springfield   Jan.     2.  191 1  -  Braceville    Feb.  7,  191 1 

Moline   Jan.    3,1911  Pekin   Feb.  7,1911 

Rock  Island  Jan.    3,  1911  Hillsboro    Feb.  14,  1911 

Carbondale    Jan.     7,1911  Spring  Valley    Feb.  14,1911 

Rochelle     Tan.  10,  1911  Waukegan    Feb.  14,  1911 

Decatur    Jan.  17,  1911  Clinton    Feb.  28,1911 

Dixon    Jan.  17,  1911  Hamilton    Aug.  1,1911 

Elgin    Jan.  21,  1911  Forest  Park    Nov.  7,1911 

Kewanee    Jan.  24,  1911  Harvey   April  16,  1912 

Jacksonville   Jan.  31,  1911 

Under  this  system,  instead  of  electing  a  number  of  alder- 
men from  wards  (and  as  representatives  of  political  parties) 
four  commissioners  are  elected  from  the  city  at  large,  for 
terms  of  four  years  at  the  regular  city  elections  counting 
from  1911,  so  that  the  city  is  governed  by  a  mayor  and  four 
commissioners  instead  of  by  a  mayor  and  a  city  council  or 
board  of  aldermen.  Primary  elections  are  held  as  under  the 
other  system,  but  no  party  name  or  emblem  appears  on  either 
the  primary  or  the  final  ballot,  and  one  may  be  elected  with 
reference  to  his  fitness  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  city 
instead  of  because  of  his  activity  in  national  or  state  politics. 
The  names  of  the  two  candidates  for  mayor  and  of  the  eight 
candidates  for  commissioner  who  receive  the  highest  vote  at 
the  primary  are  placed  upon  the  final  ballot ;  and  in  case  of 
a  tie,  the  judges  of  election  determine  by  lot  which  of  the 
tied  names  shall  be  considered  nominated. 

In  these  cities  the  council  meets  regularly  once  a 
week.  The  mayor  has  one  vote  and  is  ex-ofhcio  presid- 
ing officer.  The  work  of  the  council  is  divided  into  five 
departments :  public  affairs,  accounts  and  finances,  pub- 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  49 

lie  health  and  safety,  streets  and  public  improvements,  pub- 
lic property.  The  mayor  is  ex-officio  head  of  the  depart- 
ment of  public  affairs,  and  each  one  of  the  other  depart- 
ments is  assigned  by  the  commissioners  sitting  as  a  board, 
to  one  of  their  number.  The  board,  or  council,  may  elect  a 
city  clerk,  a  corporation  counsel,  a  city  attorney,  an  assistant 
attorney,  a  city  treasurer,  a  library  trustee,  local  improvement 
officers,  and  such  other  local  offices  as  it  finds  necessary. 
Three  votes  are  necessary  to  pass  any  measure,  and  three  con- 
stitute a  quorum.  The  commission  plan  as  adopted  in  Illinois 
includes,  likewise,  the  right  of  referendum,  initiative,  and  recall 
of  all  officers  except  judges  and  court  officials.  An  ordinance 
does  not  become  effective  until  thirty  days  after  its  passage, 
and,  if  within  that  time  a  referendum  on  it  is  demanded,  it 
must  also  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people.  All  ordinances 
furthermore  dealing  with  the  granting  of  franchises  must  be 
submitted  to  such  a  vote  before  they  become  effective.  If  the 
commission,  or  council,  does  not  enact  measures  that  seem  im- 
portant to  a  considerable  number  of  the  citizens,  those  meas- 
ures may  be  suggested  to  the  council  by  petition,  and  the 
council  must  then  consider  them.  It  should  be  noted  that  no 
official  can  be  recalled  until  he  has  served  at  least  one  year  of 
his  term. 

Minority  Representation  in  the  City  Council.  Under  the 
statute  governing  the  election  of  aldermen,  two  methods  of 
election  are  allowed.  The  method  followed  in  Chicago  is  the 
more  common,  the  other,  known  as  the  "minority  representa- 
tion method,"  is  still  in  the  law  but  its  use  is  practically 
obsolete.  Whether  any  city  shall  adopt  or  discontinue 
the  minority  representation  method  is  determined  by  submit- 
ting the  question  to  a  vote  of  the  people.  Aldermen  have 
the  same  powers  under  either  system.  Under  the  minority 
representation  system,  however,  the  city  is  divided  into 
from  two  to  six  districts.  Three  aldermen  are  then  chosen 
from  each  district  for  a  term  of  two  years.  Elections  may 
be  so  arranged  that  the  election  in  one-half  of  the  districts 


50  HANDBOOK  FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

occur  the  year  intervening  between  elections  in  other  dis- 
tricts. The  essential  feature  of  the  system,  however,  is  the 
cumulative  voting.  That  is  the  system  by  which,  when 
three  aldermen  are  to  be  elected  and  each  voter  has  three 
votes  to  cast,  he  may  cast  all  three  for  one  of  the  three,  or 
distribute  his  three  votes  or  equal  parts  thereof  among  the 
candidates.  In  this  way  a  well-organized  minority  may  get 
and  hold  a  representation  in  the  council,  which  may  be  very 
powerful. 

VILLAGE   GOVERNMENT. 

Village  government  is  a  simplified  form  of  city  government. 
The  president  of  the  village,  elected  every  two  years  in  the  odd- 
numbered  years,e.g.,  1911  and  1913,  corresponds  to  the  mayor 
and  has  the  same  powers  and  duties.  Six  trustees  elected  from 
the  village  at  large,  three  each  year,  correspond  to  the  alder- 
men. A  clerk  who  is  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  of  the 
village  is  elected  every  two  years  in  the  even-numbered  years, 
e.g.,  1912  and  1914.  The  president  and  the  trustees  together 
may  appoint  a  treasurer,  one  or  more  street  commissioners, 
a  village  marshal,  who  has  the  duty  of  maintaining  peace 
and  enforcing  village  ordinances  and  is  the  head  of  any  police 
force  the  village  may  have.  Villages  have  no  village  courts, 
but  each  village  and  each  city  except  Chicago  may  elect  for 
a  term  of  four  years  one  police  magistrate,  who  has  the  jur- 
isdiction of  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  city;  and  justices  of 
the  peace,  provided  for  by  county  organization,  have  civil 
and  criminal  jurisdiction  in  villages  and  in  all  cities  except 
Chicago.  Since  justices  of  the  peace  and  police  magistrates 
are  constitutional  officers,  women  may  not  vote  for  them. 

INCORPORATED    TOWNS. 

Besides  cities  and  villages,  Illinois  has  some  incorpo- 
rated towns,  which  are  distinct  and  different  from  the  town- 
ships of  county  organization,  also  often  called  towns.  Be- 
fore the  constitution  of  1870  the  Illinois  legislature  had 
power  to  grant  special  charters.  Many  of  these  incorpo- 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  51 

rated  towns  are  operating  under  these  old  charters,  with 
governments  very  similar  to  village  government.  The 
town  of  Cicero,  near  Chicago,  is  a  town  of  this  type  and 
was  incorporated  under  special  acts  of  1867  and  1869. 
There  was  also  formerly  a  provision  by  which  the  town- 
ships of  township  organization  might  vote  at  town  meetings 
to  incorporate  and  thereby  become  incorporated  towns  with 
similar  powers  and  functions.  The  original  town  of  Hyde 
Park,  now  a  part  of  Chicago,  was  an  incorporated  town  of 
this  type.  Later  it  organized  as  a  village  and  still  later  was 
annexed  to  Chicago.  There  are  probably  still  some  towns 
of  this  type  in  the  state.  There  are  also  towns  of  the  town- 
ship organization,  which  were  given  special  powers  by  spe- 
cial acts  of  the  legislature  before  1870,  but  the  special  pow- 
ers that  they  received  have  been  held  not  enough  to  consti- 
tute the  town  an  incorporated  town.  The  town  of  Thornton, 
just  south  of  Chicago  in  Cook  County,  is  a  town  of  this 
type. 

PARK  DISTRICTS. 

The  creation  and  organization  of  park  districts  mark  one 
of  the  most  recent  and  significant  stages  oi  community  de- 
velopment. The  earlier  governmental  functions  were 
mainly  devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  national  integrity  and 
the  preservation  of  peace  and  order.  The  development  of 
roads  and  other  means  of  communication,  the  performance 
of  common  services,  the  provision  of  certain  conveniences 
and  the  protection  of  health  have  gradually  been  taken  on, 
and  now  in  the  activities  of  park  districts  there  is  recog- 
nized the  place  in  the  community  life,  of  recreation  and  easy 
access  to  open  spaces. 

The  establishment  and  maintenance  of  parks  may  be 
undertaken  by  any  of  the  governmental  units  described. 
There  are  national,  state,  city  and  village  parks.  For,  ex- 
ample the  Chicago  Special  Park  Commission  has  been 
already  described.  Cities  of  not  more  than  15,000  were 
authorized  by  an  act  of  1899  to  purchase  property  for  park 
purposes,  and  cities  of  less  than  50,000  were  authorized  in 


52  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

1907  to  maintain  parks  and  to  levy  a  tax  of  not  more  than 
two  mills  on  the  dollar.  In  1913,  cities  of  less  than  500,000 
— all  cities  other  than  Chicago — were  authorized  to  estab- 
lish municipal'  coliseums  for  general  education  and  recrea- 
tion purposes,  and  after  a  favorable  vote  on  the  part  of 
the  electors  to  levy  a  special  tax  for  this  purpose.  If  estab- 
lished, the  coliseum  is  to  be  under  the  control  of  a  board  of 
three  directors  appointed  by  the  mayor  and  council  or 
mayor  and  commission,  as  the  case  may  be. 

A  town  or  township,  too,  no  part  of  which  is  under  any 
board  of  park  commissioners  may  acquire  and  improve  land 
for  park  purposes,  but  no  bonds  can  be  issued  or  taxes 
levied  on  this  account  until  there  has  been  an  affirmative 
vote  by  the  town  at  an  election  called  in  pursuance  to  a 
petition  of  at  least  fifty  of  the  legal  voters  who  voted  at 
the  last  general  election  in  the  town  before  the  petition, 
which  is  presented  to  the  county  judge.  The  park  is  con- 
trolled and  managed  by  three  park  commissioners,  who 
hold  office,  each  for  three  years  and  one  of  whom  is  elected 
each  year  at  the  regular  town  election.  The  original  com- 
missioners are  appointed  by  the  county  judge,  who  can 
appoint  no  one  unless  a  petition  has  been  filed  on  his  behalf 
signed  by  at  least  fifty  of  the  voters  of  the  town  who  voted 
at  the  last  general  election  in  the  town.  He  determines 
which  one  of  the  three  shall  have  the  original  three- 
year  term,  which  one  a  term  of  two  years,  and  which  one 
a  term  of  one  year  only.  These  commissioners  must  be 
appointed  to  select  sites  and  estimate  cost  before  any  ques- 
tion of  tax  or  bond  issue  can  be  submitted.  The  town  of 
Calumet,  which  lies  partly  in  Chicago,  has  organized  a 
park  district,  called  Ridge  Park.  This  park  is  within  the 
city  limits. 

But  not  only  may  such  functions  be  exercised  by  estab- 
lished governmental  agencies.  Special  agencies  have  been 
created  for  this  purpose.  There  are,  for  example,  within 
Chicago  ten  park  districts.  Each  one  of  these  boards  is  a 
separate  municipal  corporation  with  taxing  power,  main- 


GOVERNMENT   OF    CITIES  S3 

taining  a  police  force  and  passing  ordinances  and  regula- 
tions for  the  use  of  its  land  and  the  property  subject  to  its 
jurisdiction  and  the  conduct  of  persons  using  that  property. 
There  should  be  first  noticed  the  three  great  park  com- 
missions. 

1.  The    South    Park    Commission,    whose   jurisdiction 
covers  most  of  the  so-called  South  Side  of  Chicago.   Estab- 
lished in  1869,  it  includes  what  were  the  towns  of  Lake, 
Hyde  Park,  and  South  Chicago.    It  is  governed  by  a  board 
of  five  commissioners  appointed  one  each  year  for  a  term  of 
five  years   by  the   judges   of   the   Circuit   Court  of   Cook 
County.     It  is  required  to  report  annually  to  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  Cook  County.     It  has  its  separate  police 
force,  consisting  in  1911  of  170  officers;  and  separate  staff 
of  officials  including  playground  directors   and  assistants, 
and  an  independent  taxing  power.     It  maintains  two  great 
parks,  Washington  and  Jackson;  22  small  parks,  in  11  of 
which  there  are  "park  houses"  or  neighborhood  centers ; 
and  33  miles  of  boulevard. 

2.  The  Lincoln  Park  District  covers  the  large  part  of 
what  is  generally  known  as  the  North  Side  and  coincides 
with  the  town  of  North  Chicago  and  of  Lake  View.     The 
commission  here  consists  of  seven  members  appointed  by 
the  governor  and  senate  for  terms  of  five  years,  and  re- 
porting to  the  mayor  of  Chicago.     This  commission  main- 
tains Lincoln  Park,  two  small  parks  with  park  houses,  and 
two  playgrounds. 

3.  On  the  West  Side,  too,  a  commission  of  seven  mem- 
bers appointed  by  the  governor  and  senate  for  terms  of 
seven  years  have  jurisdiction  over  that  part  of  the  township 
of  West  Chicago  which  lies  between  the  North  Branch  of 
the  Chicago  River  on  the  north  and  the  South  Branch  and 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  on  the  other.    This  com- 
mission  has   control   of   three   large  parks   and  ten    small 
parks. 

In  addition,  the  general  enabling  act  of  1895  provided  for 
the  organization  of  park  districts  in  counties  under  town- 


54  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

ship  organization  of  any  territory  not  a  part  of  any  other 
park  district.  On  petition  of  100  legal  voters,  resident 
within  a  proposed  park  district,  to  the  county  judge,  an 
election  is  required  at  which  the  question*  of  establishing 
a  park  district  is  to  be  decided,  and  five  commissioners  for 
terms  of  five  years  may  be  elected.  Such  a  park  district 
may  lie  in  one  or  more  townships  but  may  include  no  land 
of  any  other  park  district.  Among  special  park  districts 
in  Chicago  (most  of  them  under  the  act  of  1895)  are  Ridge 
Avenue  Park  District,  North  Shore,  Calumet,  Fernwood, 
Irving  Park,  and  Northwest. 

REFERENCES— CITIES.,  VILLAGES,  ETC. 

Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911). 
Chap.  24,  "Cities,  Villages  and  Towns." 

46,  "Elections,"  particularly  1f  155  f f. 
67,  "'Houses  of  Correction." 
"      122,  "Schools." 

Illinois  Laws  of  1913,  p.   135   ff.   (further  provisions  as  to  Cities, 
Villages  and  Towns). 

REFERENCES— PARKS. 


Illinois  Private  Laws  of  1867,  Vol.   II,  p.  472,  479. 
Illinois  Private  Laws  of  1869,  V 
Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illino 
Illinois  Laws  of  1913,  p.  443  ff. 


Illinois  Private  Laws  of  1869,  Vol.  I,  342-379  incl. 

Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  'of  Illinois  (19H.£Chap.  105,  "Parks." 


r    ~  -v  *• 

*•;.'  Oi 


CHAPTER  V. 
COUNTY  GOVERNMENT. 

The  state  is  divided  into  counties.  In  each  county  there  is 
a  local  government  subordinate  to  the  state  government. 
These  local  governments  are  of  three  kinds:  (1)  Counties 
under  township  organization  are  subdivided  into  political 
townships,  in  each  of  which  there  is  a  set  of  township  officials. 
The  basis  of  the  political  township  is  the  township  of  the 
federal  survey — a  tract  of  land  six  miles  square  or  containing 
thirty-six  squares  miles,  which  is  often  known  as  the  con- 
gressional township.  These  counties  are,  in  general,  coun- 
ties settled  by  persons  who  came  from  New  England,  and  the 
organization  is  similar  to  that  in  New  England  towns. 

(2)  Counties  not  under  township  organization,  in  which 
there  are  no  political  townships,  where  the  organization  is 
similar  to  county  organization  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  of 
which  the  Illinois  country  was  originally  a  part.* 

(3)  Cook  County,  in  which  features  similar  to  both  the 
other  systems  are  found.    A  description  of  those  three  forms 
will  be  given  in  order. 

COUNTIES    UNDER  TOWNSHIP   ORGANIZATION. 

Whether  a  county  will  adopt  or  retain  the  township  form 
of  organization  may  be  decided  by  a  vote  of  the  inhabitants 
provided  fifty  or  more  legal  voters  sign  a  petition  that 
such  an  election  be  held. 

In  the  government  survey  congressional  townships  were 
numbered  by  rows  north  of  a  base  line  from  which  the  sur- 
vey was  taken  and  by  rows  or  "ranges"  east  and  west  from 
the  nearest  principal  meridian.  Since,  however,  political  town- 
ships may  be  subdivided  or  consolidated,  the  political  division 
may  become  very  different  from  the  geographical  or  congres- 

*See  p..   117. 

55 


56  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

sional  division.  In  these  counties,  then,  each  township  be- 
comes an  election  precinct  of  one  or  more  districts,  with  its 
own  officers  .serving  as  election  officials,  the  chief  officer 
being  the  supervisor. 

The  supervisors  of  the  townships,  acting  together  as  a 
board,  constitute  the  county  board  and  have  general  control 
or  supervision  of  county  matters.  These  supervisors  are 
elected  by  their  respective  towns  for  terms  of  one  year. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  townships  which  lie  wholly  within 
the  limits  of  a  city  of  50,000  or  more  inhabitants  have  no 
independent  town  government.  Their  duties  and  powers  are 
transferred  to  the  county  board  and  the  county  officials. 
This  board  meets  at  least  twice  a  year,  on  the  second  Tues- 
day in  September  for  an  annual  meeting,  at  which  a  chair- 
man of  the  board  is  elected,  and  on  the  second  Monday  in 
June.  The  meeting  must  be  open  to  the  public.  This  board 
has  charge  of  important  county  institutions,  passes  upon 
names  of  towns  presented  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns, 
and  may  appropriate  money  for  roads  and  bridges. 

Township  Meetings,  The  Illinois  town  meeting  is,  like 
its  New  England  prototype,  a  gathering  of  the  voters  of 
the  town  for  open  discussion  of  matters  of  common  interest 
to  them.  It  occurs  annually  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  which  is  also  the  day  of  the 
election  by  ballot  of  the  township  officers.  At  that  time,  the 
town  clerk  calls  together  the  voters  into  town  meeting;  they 
elect  a  moderator,  who  acts  as  president  or  presiding  officer 
of  the  meeting. 

At  the  meeting,  the  electors  consider  the  management  of 
the  corporate  property  and  taxation  for  actions  at  law  in 
which  the  town  is  interested.  They  may  take  measures  to 
prevent  the  spread  of  weeds ;  to  secure  the  care  of  trees  along 
the  roads;  to  regulate  fences  within  the  town  (except  where 
such  regulation  would  conflict  with  a  statute)  ;  to  regulate  or 
prohibit  the  running-at-large  of  domestic  animals ;  to  estab- 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  57 

lish  a  pound  and  to  provide  for  the  appointment  of  a  pound- 
master,  and  to  transact  miscellaneous  business. 

Special  town  meetings  may  be  called  by  fifteen  voters  and 
two  town  officers;  but  the  object  of  the  meeting  must  be 
stated  in  the  call. 

Township  Officers.  The  business  of  the  township  is 
conducted  by  the  township  officers.  They  are  elected  by  bal- 
lot from  among  the  voters  who  have  been  resident  in  the 
town  for  one  year. 

( 1 )  The  supervisor  is  the  chief  officer  of  the  township ; 
he  receives  and  pays  out  all  money  on  township  accounts,  is 
ex-officio  supervisor  of  the  poor  and  member  of  the  county 
board.    He  serves  for  one  year,  and  makes  an  annual  finan- 
cial report  at  town  meeting. 

(2)  An   assistant  supervisor    is   elected    for   a   term   of 
one  year  in  towns  that  have  at  least  4,000  inhabitants  and 
for  every  2,500  inhabitants  an  additional  assistant  supervisor. 
His  only  duty  is  to  be  a  member  of  the  county  board. 

(3)  The  toivn  clerk  is  the  secretary  of  the  town,  keeps 
its  records,  has  custody  of  its  papers,   and  annually  notifies 
the  county  clerk  of  the  amount  required  to  be  raised  by  taxa- 
tion by  the   township  for  town  purposes.     His  term  is  two 
years   and   he   is  elected   in    the   even-numbered   years,   e.g., 
April  7,  1914. 

(4)  The  assessor  determines  the  value  of  property  sub- 
ject to  taxation  in  the  town.     His  term  is  two  years,  and  he 
is  elected  at  the  same  time  as  the  town  clerk.* 

(5)  The    collector   on    warrant    from   the    county    clerk 
collects  taxes  due  upon  property  in  his  township.     His  term 
also  is  two  years,  and  his  election  occurs  at  the  same  time  as 
the  town  clerks. 

(6) x  The  Town  Board  of  Health.  The  supervisor,  the 
assessor,  and  the  town  clerk1  of  each  town  constitute  a  board 
of  health,  which  may  appoint  doctors  as  health  officers,  pro- 

*In  counties  of  over  125,000  inhabitants,  there  is  a  board  of  asses- 
sors in  charge  of  this  work.  But  the  township  assessor  is  then  appoint- 
ed deputy  assessor  for  his  township. 


58  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

vide  free  vaccination,  and  require  reports  upon  any  danger- 
ously communicable  disease. 

(7)  Board    of    Highway    Commissioners.      This    board 
consists  of  three  members,  one  of  whom  is  elected  each  year 
for  a  term  of  three  years;  the  town  clerk  acts  as  clerk  to 
the  board,  and  the  town  supervisor  is  ex-officio'its  treasurer. 
But  by  voting,  any  township  may  have  one  highway  com- 
missioner with  a  three-year  term  instead  of  three  commis- 
sioners.  The  board  makes  out  a  list  of  all  able-bodied  men 
between  twenty-one  and  fifty  years  of  age  and  a  tax  of  from 
one  to  three  dollars  is  assessed  against  each  person  on  the 
list.    This  tax  is  payable  to  the  treasurer  of  the  highway 
commissioners.      The    commissioners    also    determine   and 
notify  the  county  clerk  of  any  additional  tax  to  be  levied  in 
their  township  for  road  and  highway  purposes.    They  may 
lay  out,  alter,  widen  or  vacate  highways,  and  erect  road 
signs,  and  provide  road  watering  facilities.   They  direct  the 
expenditure  of  township  road  funds,  but  can  award  no  con- 
tract for  any  amount  larger  than  $200  without  the  consent 
of  the  county  superintendent  of  highways.     They  are  re- 
quired to  keep  down  thistles  and  weeds  on  township  roads 
and  to  destroy  or  cut  out  all  those  growing  there,  at  least 
once  a  year.    They  have  an  annual  meeting  on  the  second 
Tuesday  after  the  election,  and  the  list  for  the  poll  tax  is 
then  made;  a  semi-annual  meeting  is  required  between  the 
first  Tuesday  of  August  and  of  September,  and  the  amount 
needed  by  additional  tax  levy  is  then  decided.     The  poll 
tax  may  be  abolished  by  a  vote  taken  at  the  town  election, 
if  the  petition  and  notice  required  by  the  statute  has  been 
made.    The  commissioners  may  issue  bonds  to  raise  money 
for  road  purposes,  when  the  people  vote  for  such  a  bond  is- 
sue at  a  special  election  on  the  question.    The  commission- 
ers must  make  an  annual  financial  report  to  the  board  of 
auditors. 

(8)  The  board  of  auditors,  often  called  the  town  board, 
consists  of  the  supervisor,  the  town  clerk  and  the  justices  of 
the  peace. 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  59 

The  supervisor,  the  town  clerk  and  the  assessor  receive 
$3.00  a  day  for  attending  town  business  outside  the  town- 
ship and  $2.50  a  day  when  attending  to  business  in  the  town- 
ship. The  town  cierk  in  addition  receives  various  set  fees  for 
various  official  acts. 

Women  may  vote  for  these  elective  town  officers. 

COUNTIES    NOT    UNDER  TOWNSHIP   ORGANIZATION. 

Counties  not  under  township  organization  are  governed 
by  a  board  of  county  commissioners.  This  board  consists  of 
three  commissioners,  elected  one  each  year  at  the  November 
election  from  the  county  at  large  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
The  constitution  and  the  statute  prescribe  for  county  com- 
missioner a  residence  of  five  years  in  the  county  just  prior 
to  the  election.  The  board  holds  regular  meetings  on  the 
third  Monday  in  September,  December,  March  and  June 
and  on  the  second  Monday  in  July.  At  the  December  meet- 
ing, the  members  organize  and  select  one  of  their  members 
as  chairman. 

This  board  has  general  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  county; 
cares  for  county  property ;  supervises  the  administration  of 
county  institutions;  may  levy  taxes;  and  may  create  a 
board  of  health.  Each  commissioner  receives  a  salary  fixed 
by  statute,  but  the  salaries  of  commissioners  depend  upon 
the  population  of  the  county. 

Counties  not  under  township  organization  are  divided 
into  road  districts,  each  one  of  which  is  as  large  as  a  con- 
gressional township.  Each  road  district  has  the  same  high- 
way commissioners  (or  commissioner)  with  the  same 
powers  and  functions  for  road  construction,  maintenance 
and  repair  as  in  townships  in  counties  under  township  or- 
ganization. There  is,  of  course,  no  town  clerk,  town  super- 
visor, town  election  or  board  of  auditors.  But  a  district 
election  is  held  annually  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  and 
every  three  years  a  district  clerk  is  elected,  who  is  ex-officio 
district  treasurer.  The  annual  financial  report  is  filed  in 
his  office. 


60  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

For  purposes  of  voting,  the  county  is  divided  into  elec- 
tion precincts,  or  election,  districts,  which  should  contain  as 
nearly  as  practicable  400  voters  each.  The  judges  and  clerks 
of  election  are  appointed  and  precincts  are  determined  by 
the  county  board. 

COOK    COUNTY. 

The  county  board  of  Cook  County  is  officially  known  as 
the  "Board  of  Commissioners  of  Cook  County."  It  consists 
of  ten  members  chosen  from  and  by  Chicago,  and  of  five 
members  chosen  from  and  by  the  rest  of  Cook  County  out- 
side of  Chicago.  The  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Cook 
County  differs  in  several  respects  from  the  county  board  of 
other  counties.  The  president,  for  example,  is  not  elected  by 
the  commissioners  from  among  their  own  number,  but  at  the 
time  of  election,  each  voter  must  indicate  separately  which 
candidate  he  wishes  to  be  president.  The  term  of  office  of 
Cook  County  commissioners  has  been  two  years.  An  act 
of  1913  increases  it  to  four  years,  beginning  with  the  com- 
missioners elected  in  1914.* 

The  board  meets  regularly  on  the  first  Monday  of  Decem- 
ber, January,  February,  March,  June  and  September.  It  has 
the  power  and  duties  of  county  boards  in  counties  under 
township  organization.  The  president  may  vote  as  a  com- 
missioner or  he  may  have  a  casting  vote  as  president.  He 
cannot  vote  in  both  capacities.  He  has  veto  power  over  any 
resolution  appropriating  money  or  involving  the  county's 
finances,  'but  this  veto  can  be  overruled  by  a  vote  of  four-fifths 
of  the  commissioners.  Further,  he  appoints  each  year  one 
member  of  the  civil  service  commission,  which  consists  of 
three  members  and  conducts  examinations  for  the  selection  of 
employees  for  such  offices  as  are  under  the  county  civil  ser- 
vice law. 

The  territory  of  Cook  County  is  organized  on  the  town- 
ship scheme.  Townships  lying  wholly  within  Chicago  (or 

•Recently  a  claim  has  been  made  that  the  office  of  commissioner  of  Cook 
County  is  different  from  that  of  county  commissioner,  and  that  one  year's 
residence  is  therefore  sufficient  for  eligibility.  In  the  People  vs.  McCormick 
this  point  was  settled  in  a  decision  reported  December  17,  1913. 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  61 

any  other  city  in  the  state  of  over  50,000  inhabitants)  have, 
however,  no  independent  township  organization.  The  county 
treasurer  is  ex-officio  supervisor;  the  county  treasurer,  ex- 
officio  collector;  the  county  clerk,  e.v-offtcio  town  clerk  and 
assessor,  and  there  are  no  highway  commissioners.  All  pow- 
ers that  would  regularly  belong  to  the  township  government 
are  given  to  the  County  Board.  Towns  outside  of  Chicago 
have  the  usual  township  organization  and  powers,  but  they 
have  no  assistant  supervisors,  and  their  supervisors  are  not 
members  of  the  County  Board. 

PROVISIONS   APPLYING   IN   ALL  COUNTIES. 

The  county,  whether  with  or  without  township  organiza- 
tion, is  the  governmental  unit  to  which  is  entrusted  the  care 
of  the  aged  poor,  the  poor  sick,  and  prisoners  who  are  await- 
ing trial  or  who  have  been  convicted  of  offenses  less  serious 
than  felonies.  It  may,  therefore,  establish  an  almshouse,  a 
county  hospital,  a  tuberculosis  sanitarium,  a  county  jail  and 
a  workhouse.  It  must  provide  a  courthouse  with  offices  and 
supplies  for  a  county  and  a  circuit  court  as  well  as  for  county 
officers.  The  county  must  also  protect  the  health,  insure  rea- 
sonably good  roads,  and  enforce  state  laws  for  the  preven- 
tion of  cruelty  to  animals.  The  county  board  may  therefore 
buy  and  sell  real  estate,  make  the  contracts  necessary  to  the 
performance  of  these  duties,  and  levy  taxes  for  county  pur- 
poses. 

County  Officers.  Besides  the  county  board  and  the  town- 
ship officers,  there  are  in  all  counties  certain  other  very 
important  officers.  They  are  constitutional  officers,  and 
therefore  women  can  not  vote  for  them. 

(1)  Justices  of  the  peace  and  constables,  who  are 
elected  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April  every  four  years  be- 
ginning 1897,  e.g.,  April  1,  1913.  Justices  of  the  peace 
have  jurisdiction  throughout  the  county,  but  in  general  they 
cannot  hear  cases  in  which  more  than  two  hundred  dollars 
is  to  be  received.  The  constables  are  the  officers  who  serve 
writs  from  justice  of  the  peace  courts.  In  counties  under 


62  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

township  organization  two  justices  and  two  constables  are 
elected  from  each  township ;  they  have  certain  township 
functions  and  are  often  classified  as  township  officers.  In 
counties  not  under  township  organization  two  justices  and 
two  constables  are  elected  from  each  election  precinct.  An 
additional  justice  and  an  additional  constable  are  elected  in 
either  case  for  every  1,000  inhabitants  over  2,000.  But  no 
more  than  five  justices  and  five  constables  may  be  elected 
from  any  town,  except  in  towns  which  lie  partly  within 
Chicago.  Such  towns  are  allowed  an  additional  constable 
for  every  10,000  of  their  inhabitants  over  10,000.  In  coun- 
ties under  township  organization  the  terms  of  justices  and 
constables  begin  on  the  first  Monday  of  May  after  election. 
In  counties  not  under  township  organization,  their  term 
begins  on  the  first  Monday  in  December  after  election. 
Justices  of  the  peace  and  constables  receive  their  pay  in 
fees.  There  are  no  justices  of  the  peace  in  Chicago,  and  no 
Cook  County  justice  of  the  peace  or  constable  has  civil  jur- 
isdiction in  Chicago. 

The  following  officers  are  also  elected  for  a  term  of  four 
years  at  the  November  election  every  four  years  beginning 
1882,  e.g.,  1912  and  1916,  the  term  beginning  on  the  first 
Monday  in  December  following  the  election : 

(2)  The  county  judge,  whose  work  will  be  described  in 
connection  with  the  courts  of  the  state.* 

(3)  The  county  clerk,  who  acts  as  clerk  or  secretary  of 
the  county  board  and  keeps  a  record  of  orders  on  the  county 
treasurer,  and  has  the  custody  of  the  official  seal  and  docu- 
ments, including  bonds  of  justices  of  the  peace    and    other 
officials.     He  is  ex-ofhcio  clerk  of  the  county  court,  and  has 
other  duties  imposed  by  statute,  such  as  the  issuing  of  mar- 
riage licenses  and  keeping  a  record  of  births,  deaths  and  mar- 
riages.   In  Cook  County  he  is  ex-ofhcio  comptroller. 

(4)  The  sheriff,  who  must  keep    the    peace    and    has 
charge  of  the  courthouse  and  jail.     It  is  his  duty  to  serve 
and  execute  warrants,  summons  and  other  writs.    In  coun- 

*See  p.  88. 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  63 

ties  not  under  township  organization,  he  is  ex-ofUcio  coun- 
ty collector. 

(5)  The  county  treasurer,  who  has  charge  of  the  coun- 
ty's money,  and  must  keep  public  accounts,   report  to  each 
meeting  of  the  county  board  and  have  it  examine  his  books 
at  least  twice  each  year.     In  Cook  County  and  in  other 
counties  under  township  organization,  he  is  ex-offrcio  coun- 
ty collector. 

(6)  The  coroner,  who  investigates  the  causes  of  deaths, 
where  any  death  appears  to  have  been  accidental  or  violent 
or  caused  by  "undue  means." 

(7)  The  clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  whose  work  is  de- 
scribed in  connection  with  the  state  courts,  but  who  in  coun- 
ties having  under  60,000  inhabitants  is  also  recorder  of  deeds. 

Cook  County  has,  in  addition,  a  clerk  of  the  superior 
court,  a  clerk  of  the  criminal  court.  And  all  counties  of 
over  70,000  inhabitants  have  also  a  judge  and  a  clerk  of  the 
probate  court. 

(8)  The  recorder  of  deeds,  in  counties  having  60,000  or 
more  inhabitants,  who  receives  and  records  and  make  an 
exact  copy  of  deeds  and  certain  other  documents  filed  for 
record. 

(9)  The  county  superintendent  of  schools,  whose  election 
is   separately   provided   for   under    the    constitution    and  the 
school  laws  of  the  state,  on  the  first  Monday  in  November 
every  four  years   from  1910  and  whose  term  begins  on  the 
first  Monday  in  December  after  his  election.     He  has  charge 
of  the  county  schools  and  of  school  property,  and  is  re- 
quired to  report  both  to  the  state  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  and  to  the  county  board. 

(10)  The  county  auditor,  who  passes  on  claims  against 
the  county  and  recommends  what  action  shall  be  taken.     He 
is  not  a  constitutional  officer.     In  counties  of  less  than  75,000 
inhabitants  he  is  appointed  by  the  county  board.     In  counties 
of  from  75,000  to  300,000  inhabitants  he  is  elected  every  four 
years  beginning  1904,  e.  g.,  1912. 


64  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

(11)  The  comity  superintendent  of  highways,  chosen  by 
the  state  highway  commission  by  competitive  examination 
from  five  residents  of  the  county  whose  names  are  recom- 
mended by  the  county  board.  The  term  of  office  is  six 
years,  and  the  salary,  paid  out  of  the  county  funds,  is  fixed 
by  the  county  board.  His  duties  are  to  prepare  plans  and 
specifications  for  all  bridges  to  be  built  by  the  county, 
which  can  be  adopted  only  after  they  have  been  approved 
by  the  state  highway  commission ;  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction and  maintenance  of  any  road  built  by  the  county 
or  jointly  by  the  county  and  any  township  or  road  district ; 
under  the  state  highway  commission  to  supervise  the  main- 
tenance and  repair  of  all  state  roads  in  his  county;  at  least 
once  each  year  to  visit  and  to  inspect  the  highways  and 
bridges  in  each  town  or  district  in  his  county,  and  to  ad- 
vise with  each  one  concerning  the  best  methods  of  work  and 
construction ;  and  to  pass  upon  all  contracts  of  over  $200 
to  be  let  by  any  township  or  district  highway  commission- 
ers in  the  county. 

Salaries.  For  the  purpose  of  grading  the  salaries  or 
fees  of  county  and  township  officers,  counties  are  sometimes 
classified  by  population  into  three  classes.  The  first  class 
consists  of  those  counties  whose  population  in  1900  did  not 
exceed  25,000;  the  second,  of  those  counties  whose  popula- 
tion was  between  25,000  and  100,000;  the  third,  of  those 
counties  whose  population  was  over  100,000.  Cook  County 
is  the  only  one  in  the  third  class.  This  classification  is 
significant  only  in  the  state's  regulation  of  fees  and  salaries, 
and  is  entirely  independent  of  the  form  of  government.  In 
general,  in  the  more  thickly  populated  counties,  the  work  of 
the  various  officers  is  more  difficult  and  more  specialized  than 
in  the  less  thickly  populated  counties,  the  compensation  is 
higher,  and  more  fees  and  higher  fees  may  be  charged  for 
services. 

ASSESSMENT   AND   REVIEW. 

In  order  that  the  government  may  have  the  income  with 
which  to  carry  on  its  functions,  taxes  are  levied  and  col- 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  65 

lected.  The  amount  of  taxes  that  anyone  must  pay  depends 
upon  the  value  of  his  property.  Estimating  the  value  of  the 
property  in  the  community  for  this  purpose  is  called  "assess- 
ing" it.  This  work  is  done  chiefly  through  the  county  or- 
ganization, and  in  order  to  determine  what  official  performs 
this  duty,  the  question  must  be  asked :  Are  you  in  a  county 
of  125,000  population  or  more?  If  the  county  has  less  than 
125,000,  is  the  county  under  township  organization  or  not?  In 
such  counties  of  less  than  125,000  and  not  under  township  or- 
ganization, the  county  treasurer  is  also  the  county  assessor. 
In  counties  under  township  organization  the  towns  elect  as- 
sessors who  estimate  the  value  of  the  property  in  the  differ- 
ent townships,  and  the  county  treasurer  supervises  the  as- 
sessments. The  amount  of  pay  the  county  treasurer  receives 
for  performing  these  extra  duties  depends  upon  the  popula- 
tion in  the  county.  As  the  county  treasurer  is  a  constitutional 
office,  women  cannot  vote  for  him,  but  they  can  vote  for  the 
township  assessors  where  they  exist. 

In  counties  of  125,000  a  board  of  assessors  is  elected  for 
this  purpose.  The  board  consists  of  five  persons,  not  more 
than  four  of  whom  can  be  from  the  same  city,  elected  at  the 
November  elections,  two  every  six  years  from  1900,  e.g., 
1912  and  1918;  two  every  six  years  from  1902,  e.g.,  1914 
and  1920,  and  one  every  six  years  from  1898,  e.g.,  1916. 

The  decision  of  the  assessors  is  not  final.  In  counties 
of  125,000  or  more  population  the  work  of  the  board  of 
assessors  is  subject  to  correction  and  review  by  a  board  of 
review,  consisting  of  three  members,  elected  for  a  term  of 
three  years.  They  assess  property  not  assessed  by  the 
board  of  assessors,  and  hear  complaints  against  the  actions 
of  the  board  of  assessors.  Women  may  vote  for  members 
of  boards  of  review  and  of  boards  of  assessors. 

In  counties  of  less  than  125,000  under  township  organi- 
zation, the  county  judge  appoints  two  citizens,  one  from 
each  of  the  dominant  political  parties,  who  act  with  the 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  as  a  board  of  review ; 
and  in  counties  of  less  than  125,000,  not  under  township 


66  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

organization,  the  board  of  county  commissioners  perform 
these  duties. 

SANITARY   DISTRICTS. 

There  are  three  main  kinds  of  sanitary  districts.  The 
trustees  of  two  of  the  kinds  are  elective,  and  women  may 
vote  for  them.  The  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago  is  one  of 
the  first  kind,  where  trustees  are  elective.  A  district  of  this 
kind  must  lie  entirely  within  one  county  and  must  itself 
contain  at  least  two  incorporated  cities  or  villages  where 
public  health  needs  a  common  system  of  drainage.  It  is  con- 
trolled by  nine  trustees,  three  of  whom  are  elected  by  and 
from  the  district  at  the  regular  county  election,  e.  g.,  No- 
vember, 1914,  for  a  term  of  six  years.  The  president  of  the 
board  is  one  of  the  nine  trustees.  At  the  election  every 
"six  years,  e.g.,  1910  and  1916,  each  voter  may  vote  for  one 
of  the  candidates  for  trustee  to  be  also  president  of  the 
board,  and  the  person  who  receives  the  highest  number  of 
such  votes  is  president.  These  trustees  may  levy  taxes  and 
special  assessments,  buy  or  condemn  land,  and  borrow 
money,  and  it  is  their  duty  to  establish  and  maintain  one  or 
more  drainage  ditches  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  district. 
They  may  construct  and  lease  docks  and  sell  their  surplus 
electric  and  other  power. 

The  second  type  of  sanitary  district  where  the  trustees 
are  elective  is  composed  of  territory  lying  in  two  adjoining 
counties,  and  containing  two  or  more  incorporated  cities, 
towns  or  villages  needing  drainage  protection  against  over- 
flow. Each  such  district  is  controlled  by  a  board  of  five  trus- 
tees. The  election  takes  place  at  the  same  time  as  the 
regular  county  election,  that  is,  Tuesday  after  the  first  Mon- 
day in  November.  The  first  trustees  serve  for  three  years, 
and  after  that  a  new  board  is  elected  every  four  yours.  The 
president  is  chosen  by  the  trustees  from  their  own  number. 
These  trustees  have  power  to  pass  ordinances  and  to  lay 
out  and  maintain  drains  or  ditches  and  levees  and  embank- 
ments to  protect  against  overflow ;  and  for  that  purpose  to 
buy  or  condemn  property,  to  levy  taxes  and  special  as- 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  67 

sessments,  to  borrow  money,  and  to  appoint  a  police  force 
for  the  protection  of  their  property,  and  to  mak^e  contracts 
for  drainage  ditches  and  other  improvements. 

The  third  type  of  sanitary  district,*  the  kind  where  trus- 
tees are  not  elective,  consists  of  territory!  lying  all  within  one 
county  and  itself  containing  two  or  more  incorporated  cities, 
towns  or  villages,  so  situated  that  a  common  drainage  and 
sewage  system  is  advantageous  to  the  public  health  of  all, 
one  at  least  having  a  system  of  water  supply  from  Lake 
Michigan. 

Each  such  district  is  divided  into  five  wards  on  the  basis 
of  population  and  is  reapportioned  or  re-warded  at  least  once 
each  ten  years  by  a  board  of  commissioners  consisting  of 
the  judge  of  the  county  court  and  two  judges  of  the  circuit 
court  selected  by  him  and  residing  within  the  district.  The 
district  is  governed  by  a  board  of  five  trustees,  appointed 
one  from  each  ward,  every  fourth  year  from  the  organi- 
zation of  the  district.  This  appointment  is  made  in  the 
month  of  October  by  the  commissioners  above  mentioned. 
These  trustees  must  provide  suitable  disposal  of  sewage  and 
may  buy  or  condemn  property,  borrow  money,  levy  taxes  and 
special  assessments,  and  make  contracts  for  drainage. 
They  may  pass  ordinances  and  exercise  police  power  to 
protect  their  property.  They  may  not  allow  sewage  to 
be  emptied  into  Lake  Michigan. 

No  sanitary  district  of  any  type  can  be  organized  except 
in  accordance  with  a  vote  at  an  election  where  the  question 
is  submitted  after  the  required  petition  has  been  filed  and 
notice  given. 

ILLINOIS   SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

The  school  system  of  Illinois  corresponds  to  some  extent 
in  its  organization  to  the  system  of  counties,  but  differs  just 
enough  to  make  it  necessary  to  consider  it  separately. 

Some  cities  and  incorporated  villages  have  been  given  the 
power  by  special  act  of  the  legislature,  a  special  city  char- 
ter, to  control  their  schools  entirely. 

*This  is  a  new  type  of  district,  first  authorized  by  an  act  of  1911, 
which  has  so  far  been  little  used. 


68  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

In  Chicago,  which  operates  under  an  act  applying  only 
to  cities  of  over  100,000  inhabitants,  school  officers  are  not 
elected  by  the  people.  All  public  schools  are  under  the 
control  and  management  of  a  board  of  education  of  twenty- 
one  members,  appointed  by  the  mayor  with  the  consent  of 
the  council,  for  a  term  of  three  years,  one-third  of  them 
each  year.  Only  persons  who  have  resided  in  the  city 
for  more  than  four  years  next  before  the  appointment 
may  be  appointed.  They  select  their  president  and  their 
secretary  from  among  their  own  members.  In  this  board 
of  education  are  combined  the  powers  of  both  school 
trustees  a"nd  school  directors  elsewhere.  They  regulate  the 
schools ;  elect  a  superintendent  of  schools ;  hire  the  teachers ; 
determine  the  course  of  study  and  choose  the  textbooks ;  and 
are  required  to  conduct  examinations  for  teachers.  Their  acts 
with  regard  to  the  erection  of  school  buildings,  the  purchase 
of  land,  the  issuing  of  bonds,  or  the  borrowing  of  money 
in  any  other  way  must  be  approved  by  the  City  Council, 
which  also  levies  the  local  school  tax. 

School  funds  are  held  by  the  city  treasurer  as  a  special 
fund  for  school  purposes,  subject  to  the  order  of  the  board 
of  education,  and  are  paid  out  only  upon  warrants  counter- 
signed by  the  mayor  and  the  city  comptroller,  or  if  there 
were  no  comptroller,  by  the  city  clerk.  In  Chicago,  under 
the  authority  given  by  this  law,  the  board  of  education  has 
established  vacation  schools,  a  parental  school  for  boys  who 
are  truant  or  incorrigible,  and  special  schools  for  deaf,  blind 
and  crippled  children. 

Those  portions  of  the  state  to  which  no  special  act  applies 
are  governed  by  the  general  school  law.  The  constitution 
creates  the  positions  of  state  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion and  of  county  superintendent  of  schools.  On  that  ac- 
count women  cannot  vote  for  those  officers,  but  women  have 
been  authorized  since  1891  to  vote  for  all  other  elective  school 
officers. 

State  Superintendent  of  Schools.  The  state  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction,  who  is  at  the  head  of  this  system. 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  69 

is  elected  by  the  whole  state  every  four  years,  beginning  1910. 
He  has  an  office  at  Springfield,  and  has  legally  a  general 
supervision  over  all  the  schools  of  the  state,  including  even 
the  private  institutions.  He  is  also  the  legal  adviser  of  public- 
school  officers,  and  is  required  upon  request  of  any  school 
officer  to  give  a  written  opinion  upon  any  question  aris- 
ing under  the  school  law.  He  may  conduct  examinations 
for  teachers  and  issue  licenses  to  qualified  candidates.  He 
reports  to  the  governor  in  November  before  each  regular 
session  of  the  General  Assembly. 

County  Superintendent  of  Schools.  In  each  county 
there  is  a  county  superintendent  of  schools,  elected  every  four 
years,  beginning  1910,  who  conducts  examinations"  for 
teachers  and  issues  county  certificates  to  those  who  are 
found  qualified.  He  may  also  revoke  the  license  or  certifi- 
cate of  any  person  for  improper  conduct  or  any  other  just 
cause.  He  may  remove  any  school  director  who  willfully 
refuses  to  perform  his  duty.  He  is  required  to  conduct 
teachers'  institutes  and  to  give  instruction  and  advice  to 
teachers '  and  school  officers,  with  regard  to  methods  of 
teaching  and  courses  of  study.  He  should  visit  each  pub- 
lic school  in  his  county  at  least  once  a  year.  He  is  also 
required  to  examine  into  the  finances  of  each  school  town- 
ship under  him  and  to  distribute  and  apportion  among  the 
schools  the  money  given  to  his  county  from  the  state  school 
fund.  This  fund  is  derived  from  donations  to  the  state  for 
school  purposes  or  from  a  state  tax  levied  each  year  for 
school  purposes  and  not  exceeding  two  mills  in  each  dollar 
of  valuation  of  property. 

School  Township.  The  unit  of  school  organization  is 
the  school  township,  which  coincides  with  the  congressional 
and  geographical  township  and  need  not  lie  wholly  in  one 
county  and  may  therefore  be  different  from  the  political 
township.  (However,  any  fractional  township  containing  less 
than  200  persons  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  is  allowed  to 
consolidate  with  an  adjoining  school  township.)  In  charge 
of  each  school  township  are  three  trustees,  residents  of  the 


70  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

township,  at  least  twenty-one  years  of  age,  elected  one  each 
year  for  a  term  of  three  years.  Where  the  boundaries  of 
school  town-ships  coincide  with  those  of  political  towns, 
the  election  occurs  at  the  same  time  with  that  of  town 
officers.  In  other  school  townships  the  election  occurs  on 
the  second  Saturday  of  April.  School  townships  may  be  sub- 
divided into  school  districts,  but  it  is  possible  for  one  school 
district  to  lie  in  two  school  townships.  In  a  school  district 
containing  over  1,000  inhabitants  and  not  more  than  100,000, 
a  board  of  education  consisting  of  not  more  than  fifteen  mem- 
bers has  control  of  the  local  schools.  Members  of  the  board 
of  education  serve  for  three  years ;  one-third  of  them  to- 
gether with  a  president  of  the  board  are  elected  each  year, 
on  the  third  Saturday  in  April.  Each  other  district  is 
controlled  by  three  school  directors  elected  from  the  district 
on  the  third  Saturday  in  April,  one  each  year,  each  for  a 
term  of  three  years.  The  school  directors  in  their  districts, 
and  the  boards  of  education  in  theirs,  employ  and  dismiss 
teachers,  fix  their  salaries,  determine  the  course  of  study, 
decide  upon  the  textbooks  to  be  used,  and  adopt  necessary 
regulations  for  the  management  of  their  schools.  They  may 
suspend  or  expel  pupils  for  misconduct,  and  are  required  to 
maintain  at  least  one  public  school  in  the  district  for  at  least 
six  months  of  the  year.  They  control  and  supervise  the 
school  houses  and  grant  special  holidays  and  give  permits 
for  the  temporary  use  of  the  school  building  when  the 
schools  are  not  in  session. 

The  trustees  of  the  school  township  in  their  corporate 
name  are  the  owners  of  all  public-school  property  in  it, 
and  may  sell  or  lease  any  land  owned  by  them  that  is  not 
used  as  a  school.  They  may  levy  taxes  for  school  pur- 
poses and  may  borrow  by  mortgaging  the  school  property 
or  by  issuing  bonds.  The  school  districts  were  originally 
established  by  the  trustees  of  the  school  township,  and 
upon  petition  of  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters  from  the 
territory  to  be  affected,  they  may  change  district  boun- 
daries and  consolidate  or  divide  districts. 


COUNTY   GOVERNMENT  71 

In  each  school  township  there  is  also  a  township  treas- 
urer who  is  ex-officio  clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  who 
is  chosen  from  the  township  by  the  board  of  trustees  every 
two  years,  beginning  1910,  within  ten  days  after  election  of 
trustees.  He  is  custodian  of  all  township  and  district  school 
funds,  and  is  required  to  report  semiannually  to  the  trustees, 
annually  to  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  and  annually 
to  the  county  clerk. 

Township  High  Schools.  Township  high  schools  may 
be  established  upon  a  majority  vote  in  favor  of  the  propo- 
sition, submitted  after  due  petition  and  notice  at  the  same 
time  as  the  election  of  trustees.  The  high-school  township 
will  then  be  co-extensive,  but  separate  from  the  common- 
school  township,  and  is  under  the  control  and  management 
of  a  high-school  board  of  education  of  five  members,  elected 
regularly  on  the  second  Saturday  of  April,  one  or  two  of 
them  each  year  and  each  serving  a  term  of  three  years.  Any 
school  district  having  a  population  of  2,000  inhabitants  or 
more  may  maintain  a  high  school  in  the  same  way  as  a  town- 
ship, and  two  or  more  townships  may  join  in  the  support  of 
one  high  school,  and  be  formed  into  one  high-school  township. 
Where  a  city  with  1,000  to  100,000  inhabitants  lies  within 
two  or  more  townships,  the  township  having  the  majority  of 
the  residents  of  the  city,  and  the  parts  within  the  city  of  the 
other  townships  form  together  one  high-school  township. 

REFERENCES— COUNTY. 

Constitution  of  Illinois  (1870),  Article  X,  "Counties." 
Kurd's  Re-vised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911) 
Chap.  34,  "Counties." 

35,  "County  Clerks." 

36,  "County  Treasurer." 
51,  "Coroners." 

46,  "Elections." 

79,  "Justices  and    Constables." 

75,  "Jails  and  Jailers." 
139,  "Township  Organization." 

53,  "Fees  and  Salaries." 
115,  "Recorders." 
125,  "Sheriffs." 


72  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

Illinois  Laws  of  1913 

p.  202,  "Counties." 

p.  521,  "Roads  and  Bridges." 
Haines,  Township  Organisation. 

ASSESSMENT  AND  REVIEW. 

Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911),  Chap.  120  ("Revenue, 
particularly  11295  ff.). 

SANITARY  DISTRICTS. 

Hurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911),  Chap.  122   ("Schools, 
particularly  TI343  ff.). 

Ibid.,  Chap.  42   ("Drainage,"  particularly  11213'  ff.). 
Illinois  Laivs  of  1913,  P-  87 ;  pp.  302-3. 

ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

Constitution  of  Illinois   (1870),  Article  VIII,  "Education." 
Hurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois,  Chap.  122,  "Schools." 
Illinois  Laws  of  1913,  p.  582  ff.,  "Schools." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
STATE  GOVERNMENT  OF  ILLINOIS 

The  state  is  the  unit  of  government.  The  federal  gov- 
ernment is  a  union  of  states;  counties  are  subdivisions  of  a 
state.  The  state  constitution,  which  can  be  changed  or 
amended  only  with  very  great  difficulty,  places  many  restraints 
and  checks  upon  the  action  of  the  legislature.  By  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  the  states  turned  over 
to  the  national  government  certain  matters,  chiefly  those  of 
general  concern  to  all  the  states  or  involving  the  relations 
between  the  states,  such  as  relations  with  foreign  countries 
and  the  control  of  the  postal  service,  and  imposed  certain 
limitations  on  the  actions  of  all  the  states.  No  state  can, 
for  example,  make  war;  enter  into  any  treaty;  coin  money; 
emit  bills  of  credit ;  make  anything  but  gold  and  silver  coin 
a  tender  in  payment  of  debts ;  pass  any  bill  of  attainder, 
ex  post  facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  con- 
tracts, or  grant  any  title  of  nobility.  Nor  can  any  state, 
without  the  consent  of  Congress,  impose  a  tax  on  imports 
or  exports,  except  what  may  be  absolutely  necessary  for 
executing  its  inspection  laws.  Each  state  must  give  full 
recognition  to  the  public  acts,  records  and  judicial  pro- 
ceedings of  each  other  state;  and  citizens  of  any  state  are 
entitled  to  all  privileges  and  safeguards  of  citizens  in  the 
several  states. 

Again,  the  first  section  of  the  Fourteenth  Amendment 
reads :  i 

All  persons  born  or  naturalized  in  the  United  States,  and  subject 
to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of 
the  state  wherein  they  reside.  No  state  shall  make  or  enforce  any 
law  which  shall  abridge  the  privileges  or  immunities  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States ;  nor  shall  any  state  deprive  any  person  of  life,  liberty, 
or  property,  without  due  process  of  law,  nor  deny  to  any  person  within 
its  jurisdiction  the  equal  protection  of  the  laws. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  in  accordance  with  it  are  supreme  in  mat- 

73 


74  HANDBOOK    FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

ters  they  control.  But  in  the  matters  not  given  to  the 
national  government  the  state  government  controls  within 
its  territory  and  exercises  complete  authority,  restricted 
only  by  the  limitations  contained  in  its  own  constitution. 
Not  all  the  self-imposed  restrictions  contained  in  the  state 
constitution  are  expressed.  Many  of  them  are  implied  in 
the  things  that  are  expressed. 

A  principle  of  government  which  applies  to  all  the 
states  and  to  the  United  States  is  that  of  separation  of 
powers.  That  is,  the  government  is  divided  into  three 
distinct  departments,  which  are  meant  to  check  one  an- 
other. The  legislative  department  makes  the  law.  The 
executive  department  is  responsible  for  seeing  that  the  law  is 
enforced.  And  the  judicial  department  applies  the  law  to 
particular  cases  and  decides  whether  in  making  a  law  the 
legislature  has  acted  in  a  way  that  is  constitutional — that  is, 
whether  the  action  it  has  taken  or  the  law  it  has  made  is 
allowed  by  the  constitution  of  the  state  and  also  of  the  United 
States.  In  Illinois  the  chief  officers  of  all  three  departments 
are  elected  by  the  people. 

THE  LEGISLATIVE  DEPARTMENT 

The  legislative  department,  called  the  General  Assembly, 
is  divided  into  two  branches,  or  houses.  The  members  of 
both  houses  are  elected  directly  by  the  people.  This  election 
occurs  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  Novem- 
ber in  the  even-numbered  years.  Illinois  is  divided  into 
fifty-one  districts  called  senatorial  districts,*  which  are  re- 
districted  by  the  General  Assembly  every  ten  years,  after 
the  taking  of  the  federal  census.  The  total  number  of  peo- 
ple in  the  state  is  divided  by  fifty-one,  and  the  result,  or 
quotient,  is  called  the  ratio  of  representation.  The  popu- 
lation, however,  of  the  senatorial  districts  is  not  exactly 
equal,  because  the  lines  of  the  districts  are  required  to  fol- 
low county  lines  except  where  one  county  contains  one 
and  three-fourths  enough  people  for  a  district.  Such  a 

*For  present  senatorial  districts,  see  p.  117. 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  75 

county  may  be  divided.  Cook  County  is  such  a  county;  it 
contains  eighteen  of  the  fifty-one  senatorial  districts.  The 
last  senatorial  apportionment  was  made  by  the  legislature 
in  1901,  after  the  census  of  1900.  An  apportionment  based 
upon  the  census  of  1910  has  not  yet  been  made. 

To  be  a  member  of  either  house  of  the  General  Assembly 
a  person  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  must  have 
been  for  five  years  a  resident  of  Illinois,  and  for  two  years 
before  his  election  must  have  been  a  resident  of  the  district 
from  which  he  is  elected.  Furthermore,  each  member  of  the 
lower  house  must  be  at  least  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
each  member  of  the  upper  house  must  be  at  least  twenty- 
five  years  of  age.  No  member  of  the  General  Assembly  may 
legally  hold  any  office  or  paying  position  (except  certain 
very  minor  ones)  under  either  the  state  or  the  national 
government. 

The  upper  house  of  the  General  Assembly,  called  the  Sen- 
ate, consists  of  one  member  from  each  senatorial  district.  Its 
members  serve  four  years,  and  one-half  the  number  is 
elected  every  two  years.  In  the  even-numbered  districts  the 
elections  occur  every  four  years,  from  1872 — e.g.,  in  1912  and 
1916;  in  the  odd-numbered  districts  at  the  intervening  gen- 
eral election— e.g.,  in  1910  and  1914. 

The  Senate  is  presided  over  by  the  lieutenant-governor, 
who  can  vote  only  when  the  members  are  equally  divided  on 
a  question,  i.e.,  when  there  is  a  tie  vote.  If  the  lieutenant- 
governor  is  called  upon  to  assume  the  functions  of  governor 
or  is  for  any  reason  unable  to  act,  the  Senate  then  chooses  a 
president  pro  tempore. 

The  lower  house,  called  the  House  of  Representatives,  con- 
sists of  153  members,  of  whom  three  are  elected  from  each 
senatorial  district  for  a  term  of  two  years.  There  may,  there- 
fore, be  an  entirely  new  membership  at  every  regular  session. 
In  elections  of  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  a 
system  of  voting  called  minority  representation,  or  cumu- 
lative voting,  is  employed.  Under  this  system  each  voter 
has  three  votes,  and  he  may  vote  for  three  men,  give  three 


76  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

votes  to  one  man,  or  distribute  his  votes  or  equal  parts 
thereof  among  the  candidates.  The  candidates  receiving 
the  highest  number  of  votes  are  elected. 

The  presiding  officer  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
called  the  speaker,  is  elected  by  the  house  from  among  its 
members. 

The  two  houses  of  the  General  Assembly  meet  at  the  same 
time,  on  the  Wednesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  January 
in  the  year  after  the  election;  that  is,  in  the  odd-numbered 
years.  That  is,  at  each  regular  session,  or  meeting,  of  the 
legislature,  one-half  of  the  senators  and  all  the  representatives 
have  just  been  elected.  Each  member  must  take  the  fol- 
lowing oath  of  office  at  the  beginning  of  his  term : 

I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  support  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States  and  the  constitution  of  the  state  of  Illinois, 
and  will  faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of  senator  (or  representative) 
according  to  the  best  of  my  ability;  and  that  I  have  not,  knowingly 
or  intentionally,  paid  or  contributed  anything,  or  made  any  promise, 
in  the  nature  of  a  bribe,  to  influence  directly  or  indirectly  any  vote 
at  the  election  at  which  I  was  chosen  to  fill  the  said  office,  and  have 
not  accepted,  nor  will  I  accept  or  receive,  directly  or  indirectly,  any 
money  or  other  valuable  thing,  from  any  corporation,  company  or  per- 
son, for  any  vote  or  influence  I  may  give  or  withhold  on  any  bill, 
resolution  or  appropriation,  or  for  any  other  official  act. 

Special  sessions  of  the  legislature,  or  General  Assembly, 
may  be  held  at  the  call  of  the  governor,  to  transact  such 
business  as  the  governor  states  in  his  call. 

In  each  house  a  majority  is  a  quorum. 

Members  of  the  General  Assembly  are  exempt  from  arrest 
in  all  cases  except  treason,  felony  and  breach  of  the  peace,  both 
during  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  and  in  going  to 
and  returning  from  a  session.  They  may  not  be  questioned 
anywhere  else  for  any  speech  or  debate  made  in  either  house. 

Their  salary,  which  is  fixed  by  statute  under  a  provision 
of  the  constitution,  is  now  $1,000  a  year,  payable  $2,000 
every  two  years. 

The  legislature,  under  the  restrictions  imposed  by  the  con- 
stitution, determines  what  the  laws  of  the  state  shall  be.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  parts  .of  the  laws  of  Illinois  that  can  not  be 
found  in  any  of  the  statutes.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  77 

Illinois  adopted  the  law  of  England  as  it  was  in  1608,  when 
the  first  settlers  came  to  Virginia,  of  which  the  territory 
that  is  now  Illinois  was  once  a  part.  This  law  adopted 
from  England  is  called  the  common  law  and  is  still  in 
force  except  where  it  has  been  changed  by  the  state  consti- 
tution or  by  some  statute.  But  because  the  General  Assembly 
may  change  the  common  law  or  add  to  it  by  statute,  the  legis- 
lature is  responsible  for  all  the  law,  except  what  is  in  the 
constitution,  which  contains  much  substantive  law,  and  lays 
down  restrictions  under  which  the  legislature  is  bound  to  act. 
These  restrictions  are  found  particularly  in  the  bill  of  rights 
found  in  Article  II  of  the  state  constitution,  which  guarantees 
to  the  people  such  rights  as  religious  freedom,  free  speech 
and  jury  trial,  and  in  sections  22  and  23  of  Article  III,  which 
forbid  special  legislation  in  a  long  list  of  cases. 

A  proposed  law  which  the  legislature  is  considering,  but 
has  not  yet  adopted,  is  called  a  bill.  A  bill  may  be  introduced 
in  either  house.  And  it  is  called  a  senate  bill  if  it  is  first 
introduced  in  the  Senate  and  a  house  bill  if  it  is  first  introduced 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  After  it  is  introduced,  it  is 
commonly  referred  to  a  committee.  The  fate  of  many  bills 
is  determined  by  the  selection  of  the  committee  to  which 
they  are  referred,  and  many  bills  "die  in  committee,"  i.  e.. 
are  never  acted  upon  by  the  house  in  which  they  have  been 
introduced.  To  become  a  law  a  bill  must,  of  course,  be 
passed  by  both  houses.  Then  it  is  sent  to  the  governor, 
and,  if  he  approves  it,  he  signs  it.  If  the  governor  disap- 
proves, he  vetoes  it  by  sending  it  back  with  his  objec- 
tions, but  it  may  become  a  law  in  spite  of  his  veto  if  it  is 
passed  again  in  each  house  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  all 
the  members  of  that  house.  If  the  governor  keeps  a  bill 
for  ten  days  (not  counting  Sundays)  and  does  not  send 
it  back  to  the  legislature  if  it  is  still  in  session,  or  to  the  sec- 
retary of  the  state  if  the  legislature  has  adjourned,  it  there- 
by becomes  a  law  without  his  having  signed  it.  A  bill  that 
has  passed  and  become  a  law  is  called  a  statute. 

The  money  of  the  state  can  be  spent  only  in  accordance 


78  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

with  a  statute  called  an  appropriation  bill,  and  in  Article  IV, 
sections  18  to  20  of  the  state  constitution,  there  are  a  number 
of  special  provisions  about  appropriation  bills,  e.g.,  no  other 
subject  can  be  contained  in  the  same  bill. 

The  General  Assembly  can  impeach  or  remove  from 
office  for  misconduct  in  office,  the  governor  and  all  the  civil 
officers  of  the  state,  including  the  judges.  Only  the  House 
of  Representatives  can  bring  an  impeachment  and  a  majority 
of  the  representatives  elected  must  vote  for  the  impeachment. 
Only  the  senate  can  try  an  impeachment,  and  in  order  to  con- 
vict, two-thirds  of  the  senators  elected  must  agree  that  the 
officer  is  guilty.  When  the  governor  of  the  state  is  impeached, 
the  chief  justice  of  the  state  supreme  court  presides  at  the 
trial.  The  effect  of  a  conviction  in  an  impeachment  trial  is 
to  remove  the  officer  from  office.  Whether  or  not  he  is  con- 
victed on  the  impeachment  trial,  he  may  still  be  tried  and  pun- 
ished as  a  private  citizen  for  the  crime  for  which  he  was 
impeached. 

Although  the  General  Assembly  has  this  power  to  remove 
officials  and  although  it  may  often  provide  for  the  selection 
of  officers  and  determine  whether  they  shall  be  elected  or 
appointed  by  other  officers,  it  cannot  itself  elect  or  appoint  any 
officer  of  the  state.  Until  May  30,  1913,  it  did,  of  course,  elect 
the  members  of  the  United  States  Senate  from  Illinois. 

THE  EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT 

The  chief  officers  of  the  executive  department  are  the 
governor,  lieutenant-governor,  secretary  of  state,  auditor  of 
public  accounts,  treasurer,  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, and  attorney-general.  The  term  of  office  of  the  treas- 
urer is  two  years,  and  that  of  each  of  the  others  is  four 
years ;  and  all  except  the  lieutenant-governor,  who  is  a 
kind  of  vice-governor,  are  required  to  reside  at  the  state 
capital  city.  The  governor,  the  lieutenant-governor,  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  the  auditor  of  public  accounts  are 
all  elected  at  the  same  time  as  the  senators  from  the  even- 
numbered  senatorial  districts,  e.  g.,  1912  and  1916.  The 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  79 

superintendent  of  public  instruction  is  elected  every  four 
years  in  the  alternate  elections,  that  is,  at  the  same  time 
as  the  senators  from  the  odd-numbered  districts,  e.  g.,  1910 
and  1914. 

People  vote  directly  for  these  officers,  and  the  returns,  or 
report  of  the  count,  are  sent  sealed  to  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  state,  directed  to  the  speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, who  after  the  house  is  organized  opens  them 
and  announces  the  result  before  a  joint  meeting  of  both 
houses  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Governor.  To  be  governor  or  lieutenant-governor,  a 
person  must  be  at  least  thirty  years  of  age,  and  must  have 
been  for  five  years  next  preceding  his  election  a  citizen  both 
of  the  United  States  and  of  the  state  of  Illinois. 

The  governor  must  "take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully 
executed."  He  is  commander-in-chief  of  the  naval  and  mili- 
tary forces  of  the  state — except  when  they  are  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States — and  he  may  call  out  these  forces  to 
execute  the  lav/,  put  down  insurrection,  and  repel  invasion. 
At  the  opening  of  each  session  of  the  legislature,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  term  of  office,  he  is  required  to  send  a  message 
to  the  General  Assembly,  informing  them  of  the  condition  of 
the  state  and  making  recommendations  of  such  measures  as 
he  thinks  wise.  He  must  give  an  account  of  all  money  re- 
ceived and  paid  out  by  him  from  state  funds  that  are  subject 
to  his  control.  At  the  beginning  of  each  regular  session  of  the 
legislature  he  must  present  estimates  of  the  amount  of  money 
to  'be  raised  by  taxation  for  all  purposes. 

On  extraordinary  occasions,  the  governor  may  call  a  spe- 
cial session  of  the  legislature  by  a  proclamation  stating  the 
business  to  be  transacted.  The  governor  can  appoint  all  offi- 
cers named  in  the  constitution  whose  election  or  appointment 
is  not  otherwise  provided  for,  but  the  approval  of  a  majority 
of  all  the  senators  elected  is  required  to  confirm  any  such 
appointment. 

The  governor  also  has  the  power  to  pardon  convicted  of- 
fenders, to  grant  them  reprieve,  and  to  commute  their  sentence. 


80  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

i.e.,  substitute  a  slighter  for  a  more  severe  penalty.  The 
legislature  lays  down  certain  regulations  as  to  the  method  of 
applying  for  a  pardon,  a  reprieve,  or  a  commutation  of 
sentence. 

The  governor  also  exercises  a  considerable  influence  over 
legislation,  as  a  party  leader  and  because  before  any  bill  be- 
comes a  law  it  must  be  presented  to  him,  and  if  he  objects 
to  it,  he  may  veto  it  and  return  it  to  the  legislature  with 
his  objections,  and  then  it  cannot  become  a  law  without 
the  vote  in  each  house  of  two-thirds  of  all  the  members 
elected. 

He  is  supposed  to  keep  informed  as  to  the  conduct  of 
the  state  departments  and  the  management  of  state  insti- 
tutions. He  may,  therefore,  at  any  time  require  from  all 
officers  or  managers  of  executive  departments  or  state  in- 
stitutions written  information  under  oath  on  any  subject 
relating  to  the  performance  of  their  duties.  Such  officers 
are,  of  course,  required  to  keep  account  of  all  money  re- 
ceived and  expended  by  them,  and  whether  the  governor 
call  for  it  or  not,  they  are  under  a  duty  to  make  a  semi- 
annual financial  report  to  the  governor,  besides  making  a 
general  report  at  least  ten  days  before  the  legislature  con- 
venes. Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  also  send  a  report 
to  the  governor,  who  forwards  all  this  material  to  the  leg- 
islature. 

Further,  the  governor  may  require  the  state  treasurer 
to  give  additional  security  for  the  keeping  of  the  state's 
moneys,  and,  if  the  treasurer  does  not  comply,  the  governor 
may  declare  the  treasurer's  office  vacant. 

In  case  of  vacancy  in  the  office  of  auditor  of  public  ac- 
counts, treasurer,  secretary  of  state,  attorney-general  or 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  the  governor  may  ap- 
point someone  to  fill  the  vacancy  until  the  end  of  the  term. 

For  misconduct  in  office  the  governor  and  all  the  civil 
officers  of  the  state  may  be  impeached  and  removed  from 
office  by  the  General  Assembly.* 

•See  p.  78. 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  81 

Lieutenant-Governor.  The  lieutenant-governor  is  the 
presiding  officer  in  the  state  Senate,  and  is  called  president 
of  the  Senate.  He  can  vote  only  when  the  Senate  is  equally 
divided.  If  the  governor  dies  or  resigns  or  becomes  dis- 
qualified to  act,  the  lieutenant-governor  becomes  governor. 
In  case  of  his  death  or  disqualification,  the  duties  fall  upon 
the  president  of  the  Senate  and,  in  case  of  his  death  or  dis- 
qualification upon  the  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. 

Treasurer.  The  term  of  office  of  the  state  treasurer  is 
two  years.  He  is  elected  at  the  time  of  the  election  of 
members  of  the  legislature.  The  same  individual  cannot 
be  elected  for  two  successive  terms.  As  he  has  charge  of 
all  the  state  money,  he  must  give  bond,  which  the  governor 
may  at  any  time  require  to  be  increased. 

Auditor  of  Public  Accounts.  The  auditor  of  public  ac- 
counts keeps  the  state's  accounts  and  audits  the  accounts 
of  all  officers  and  persons  who  receive  money  from  the  state 
treasury  and  has  general  supervision  over  state  banks.  The 
auditor,  the  governor,  and  the  treasurer  together  deter- 
mine the  rate  of  taxation  necessary  to  raise  the  amount  of 
tax  required  by  the  General  Assembly. 

Secretary  of  State.  The.  secretary  of  state  keeps  the 
original  copy  of  all  acts  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  all 
books  and  documents  deposited  with  him  by  either  house. 
He  keeps  a  record  of  the  official  acts  of  the  governor  and 
is  the  keeper  of  the  state's  great  seal.  He  issues  charters 
for  the  organization  of  cities  and  villages  and  corporations 
and  manv  kinds  of  state  license,  e.  g.,  automobiles,  patent 
medicine  peddlers,  corporations,  and  so  forth. 

Attorney-General.  The  attorney-general  is  the  legal  ad- 
viser of  the  governor  and  the  representative  of  the  state 
in  legal  controversies. 

Salaries.  The  salaries  of  governor  and  other  state  offi- 
cers are  fixed  by  statute,  but  may  not  be  changed  during 
the  term  of  office  of  any  officer.  No  officer  may  receive  any 
extra  or  additional  compensation  for  his  services  beyond 


82  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

that  fixed  by  statute.  Such  fees  as  are  charged  for  the  par- 
ticular services  of  any  such  officer,  must  be  paid  to  the 
state  treasury. 

In  the  executive  department  are  also  a  number  of  offices 
and  boards  created  by  the  legislature,  usually  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enforcing  some  particular  law.  Some  of  them  are 
elected  and  some  are  appointive.  The  legislature,  which 
created  them,  can  abolish  them  at  any  time. 

Head  Statutory  Appointive  Officers.     Among  these  are : 

The  insurance  superintendent,  whose  duty  is  to  enforce 
the  laws  regulating  the  insurance  business. 

The  state  fire  marshal. 

The  state  architect. 

The  state  entomologist. 

The  state  food  commissioner,  whose  duty  is  to  enforce 
the  laws  concerning  the  preparation,  handling  and  sale  of 
food  and  foodstuffs. 

The  state  game  commissioner,  whose  duty  is  to  enforce 
the  laws  regulating  hunting. 

The  chief  factory  inspector,  whose  duty  is  to  enforce  the 
laws  regulating  the  condition  of  factories  and  their  ma- 
chinery, and  the  laws  regulating  the  employment  of  women 
and  children. 

The  chief  inspector  of  employment  agencies,  whose  duty 
is  to  enforce  the  law  regulating  private  employment 
agencies. 

Further,  the  governor  may  make  a  temporary  appoint- 
ment to  any  vacancy  occurring  in  any  non-elective  con- 
stitutional office,  during  a  recess  of  the  senate.  In  case  an 
officer  appointed  by  the  governor  proves  incompetent,  neg- 
lects his  duty  or  abuses  his  power,  the  governor  may  re- 
move him  and  thus  create  a  vacancy  in  the  office. 

A  Public  Utilities  Commission  was  created  by  the  1913  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature,  to  be  organized  in  January,  1914.  It  is 
to  consist  of  five  members,  all  appointed  by  the  governor 
with  the  consent  of  the  state  Senate.  No  more  than  three  of 
the  five  members  may  be  of  the  same  political  party.  The 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  83 

regular  term  of  office  is  to  be  six  years,  beginning  in  March, 
and  one  or  two  members  are  to  be  appointed  each  year.  This 
commission  is  to  take  the  place  of  the  Railroad  and  Ware- 
house Commission.  It  will,  however,  have  more  extensive 
powers  and  is  to  do  the  important  work  of  general  supervision 
over  railroads,  electric  light,  gas,  telegraph  and  telephone, 
street  car  and  other  public  utilities.  It  is  given  power  to 
examine  into  the  charges,  accounts  and  capitalization  of  any 
public  utility  business  and  to  determine  whether  the  rate 
charged  is  a  reasonable  one.  It  may  require  regular  reports 
from  all  public  utilities  business  and  is  to  recommend  legis- 
lation that  seems  needful.  Upon  request  of  the  legisla- 
ture or  even  of  any  standing  committee  of  either  house  it  will 
be  required  to  take  testimony  concerning  any  pending  legisla- 
tion affecting  a  business  subject  to  its  jurisdiction.  Each 
commissioner  is  required  to  give  all  his  time  to  the  com- 
mission and  is  forbidden  to  be  an  owner  of  any  stock  or 
bond  of  any  corporation  subject  to  the  commission. 

The  State  Highway  Department,  consisting  of  the  State 
Highway  Commission,  a  chief  state  highway  engineer,  and 
an  assistant  state  highway  engineer,  all  appointed  by  the 
governor,  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  1913  legislature. 
The  State  Highway  Commission  consists  of  three  members, 
no  more  than  two  of  whom  may  be  of  the  same  political 
party,  appointed  one  every  two  years  for  a  term  of  six 
years  (but  of  the  three  first  appointed  one  will  have  a 
term  of  two  years  only,  and  one  a  term  of  four  years  only). 
The  duty  of  the  commission  is  to  supervise  and  to  regulate 
all  state  highways,  and  highways  and  bridges  wholly  or 
partly  built  or  maintained  with  state  money;  to  aid  and  to 
advise  with  county  highway  superintendents  with  regard 
to  establishing  of  grades  and  systems  of  drainages,  and  the 
work  of  road  and  highway  construction  and  maintenance ; 
at  the  request  of  any  superintendent  or  of  town  or  district 
highway  commissioner,  to  have  plans  and  specifications 
made  concerning  the  repair  or  improvement  of  highways 
or  the  construction  or  repair  of  bridges ;  and  to  prescribe  a 


84  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

system  of  auditing  and  accounting  for  all  road  and  highway 
and  bridge  moneys,  to  be  as  nearly  uniform  as  practicable. 
The  chief  state  highway  engineer  and  the  assistant  highway 
engineer  are  the  administrative  and  technical  agents  for  the 
State  Highway  Commission. 

The  act  creating  this  department  makes  provision  for 
the  construction  of  roads  to  be  known  as  state  aid  roads, 
paid  for  jointly  by  state  and  county  funds.  The  county 
may  make  the  original  selection  of  roads,  but  its  selection 
is  subject  to  approval  by  the  state  commission.  These 
roads  are  intended  to  connect  the  chief  cities  or  trading 
points  in  the  state. 

Elective  Officers.     Among  those  elected  are : 

The  State  Board  of  Equalisation,  which  consists  of  the 
auditor  of  public  accounts,  who  serves  ex-offtcio,  and  of  one 
member  elected  from  each  congressional  district  on  the 
Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November,  every  four 
years  from  1872,  e.  g.,  1912  and  1916.  This  board  meets 
at  the  state  capital  each  year  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
August  and  reviews  and  equalizes  the  assessments  of  the 
taxable  property  listed  from  each  county.  It  also  assesses 
corporation  capital  stock  and  certain  kinds  of  railroad  and 
telegraph  company  stock.  Women  may  vote  for  members 
of  this  board. 

The  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  governor, 
the  president  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  and  the 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  are  members  ex-ofUcio. 
Nine  other  members,  who  serve  each  a  term  of  six  years, 
are  elected  from  the  state  at  large  on  the  Tuesday  after  the 
first  Monday  in  November  in  the  even-numbered  years, 
three  at  each  election. 

Members  of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  and  trustees 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  are  the  only  state  officers  for 
whom  women  may  vote  under  the  present  statute. 

All  civil  officers  except  members  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly and  some  inferior  officers  exempted  by  law  are  required 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  85 

before  entering  into  the  work  of  their  office  to  take  the  fol- 
lowing oath : 

I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm,  as  the  case  may  be)  that  I  will 
support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Constitution  of 
the  state  of  Illinois,  and  that  I  will  faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of 
the  office  of  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

And  no  other  oath,  declaration,  or  test  can  be  required 
as  a  qualification. 

THE  JUDICIAL,  DEPARTMENT. 

The  task  of  interpreting  the  law  and  of  deciding  how  it 
applies  to  particular  cases  is  alloted  to  a  system  of  courts 
that  derive  their  authority  either  from  the  state  constitu- 
tion or  from  the  statute. 

Supreme  Court.  The  Supreme  Court  is  the  highest 
court  in  the  state.  It  is  only  in  cases  involving  some  na- 
tional question  under  the  national  Constitution  that  an  ap- 
peal can  be  taken  from  any  decision  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court ;  and  although  a  few  cases  of  public  importance  may 
be  begun  in  the  Supreme  Court,  its  chief  work  is  reviewing 
or  reconsidering  the  decisions  of  the  lower  courts.  The 
Supreme  Court  is  composed  of  seven  judges,  elected  di- 
rectly by  the  people  for  a  term  of  nine  years,  one  from  each 
of  seven  judicial  districts,  which  are  supposed  to  be  as 
nearly  equal  in  population  as  is  practicable.  The  boun- 
daries of  a  district  may  be  changed  by  the  legislature  at 
the  session  next  before  the  election  of  a  judge  from  that 
district  and  at  no  other  time.  Each  judge  must  be  at  least 
thirty  years  of  age,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  a 
resident  of  the  district*  from  which  he  is  elected  and  he 
must  have  been  a  resident  of  the  state  for  at  least  five 
years  next  before  his  election.  The  salary  of  the  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  which  is  fixed  by  an  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture and  cannot  be  changed  during  the  term  for  which  the 
judges  have  been  elected,  is  $10,000. 

The  election  of  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  occurs  on 
the  first  Monday  in  June,  in  different  years  in  the  different 

*For  present  judicial   districts,    see  p.    117. 


86  HANDBOOK    FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

districts.  In  the  first,  second,  third,  sixth  and  seventh  (in- 
cluding Cook  County)  districts,  the  election  occurs  every 
nine  years  begining  1879,  e.g.,  in  1915;  in  the  fourth  district 
every  nine  years  beginning  1873,  e.g.,  in  1909  and  1918.  It 
is  arranged  in  this  way  so  that  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  may  not  all  be  new  at  any  one  time.  The  judges  them- 
selves select  the  chief  justice  from  among  their  own  num- 
ber. If  a  vacancy  in  the  Supreme  Court  occurs  within  a 
year  of  the  expiration  of  the  term,  the  governor  may  fill  the 
vacancy  by  appointment.  Otherwise  an  election  must  be 
held  in  the  district. 

The  Supreme  Court  meets  at  Springfield,  five  times  a 
year  beginning  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  October,  December, 
February,  April  and  June.  The  presence  of  four  judges  is 
necessary  for  a  quorum  and  at  least  four  judges  must  agree 
upon  a  decision.  There  is  an  official  reporter,  appointed 
by  the  court,  and  its  decisions  are  published  after  the  close 
of  each  term  of  court. 

The  judges  of  lower  courts  are  required  every  year  before 
June  first,  to  report  in  writing  to  the  Supreme  Court,  on 
"such  omissions  and  defects  in  the  laws  as  their  experience 
may  suggest,"  and  in  turn  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  are  required  once  a  year  by  January  first,  to  make 
a  written  report  to  the  governor,  stating  "such  defects  and 
omissions  in  the  constitution  and  laws  as  they  may  find 
to  exist,  together  with  appropriate  forms  of  bills  to  cure 
such  defects  and  omissions  in  the  laws." 

Appellate  Courts.  Next  below  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois  are  the  appellate  courts,  one  in  each  of  the  four 
districts  into  which  the  state  is  divided  for  this  purpose. 
No  cases  are  begun  in  any  appellate  court,  but  these  courts 
act  as  courts  of  review  to  save  the  Supreme  Court  work. 
They  are  provided  for  in  Article  VI,  Section  II,  of  the 
state  constitution,  which  requires  that  in  all  criminal  cases, 
cases  involving  interpretation  of  a  statute  and  in  other  cases 
listed  there,  an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  appellate 
court  must  be  allowed.  In  other  matters  the  statute  deter- 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  87 

mines  whether  the  decision  of  the  appellate  court  is  to  be 
final  or  whether  there  is  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court. 
Each  appellate  court  consists  of  three  judges  assigned  to 
that  court  by  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  among 
the  judges  elected  to  the  judges  of  the  circuit  court,  but 
no  judge  can  act  in  the  appellate  court  upon  a  case  that  he 
had  decided  in  the  circuit  court.  When  the  business  of  any 
one  appellate  court  becomes  too  great  for  it  to  handle, 
branch  appellate  courts  may  be  established  in  that  district 
and  three  judges  are  assigned  in  the  same  way  to  each 
such  branch  court.  Cook  County,  which  constitutes  the 
first  district,  has  four  appellate  branch  courts  to  assist  the 
main  appellate  court. 

Below  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  appellate  courts  are 
a  number  of  courts  in  which  suits  may  be  begun.  Because 
Cook  County  has  a  population  proportionally  much  larger 
than  that  of  any  other  county  it  has  a  separate  system  of 
courts,  which  will  be  described  later. 

Circuit  Courts.  The  most  important  of  these  lower 
courts  are  the  circuit  courts,  in  which  may  be  begun  almost 
any  kind  of  law  suit  between  individuals,  and  many  pro- 
ceedings for  public  benefit,  including  criminal  prosecutions 
(which  in  Cook  County  are  handled  in  a  separate  court 
called  the  criminal  court.)  The  state  outside  of  Cook 
County  is  divided  into  judicial  circuits  of  which  there  are 
at  present  seventeen.*  The  boundaries  of  the  circuit  are 
county  lines  and  are  fixed  by  the  legislature,  but  can  be 
changed  only  at  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  next 
before  the  election  of  circuit  court  judges.  In  each  circuit 
there  is  a  circuit  court  that  may  not  have  more  than  four 
judges.  At  present  each  of  these  circuit  courts  has  three 
judges.  The  court  meets,  or  holds  its  terms,  at  least  twice 
each  year ;  at  present  three  or  four  times,  at  the  county 
seat  of  each  of  the  counties  in  the  circuit. 

A  judge  of  the  circuit  court  must  be  at  least  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  a  resident 
•  tSee  p.  117. 


88  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

of  the  state  for  the  five  years  next  before  his  election  anc 
a  resident  of  the  circuit  in  which  he  is  elected.  The  elec- 
tion of  circuit  judges  are  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  Jum 
every  six  years  beginning  1873,  e.g.,  1909  and  1915,  anc 
they  enter  upon  their  duties  as  soon  after  election  as  the) 
can  qualify  by  securing  the  commission  from  the  governoi 
and  taking  an  oath  of  office. 

Probate  Court.  In  counties  having  a  population  ovei 
50,000  the  constitution  allows  the  establishment  of  a  separ- 
ate probate  court.  But  the  legislature  has  provided  for  pro- 
bate courts  only  in  counties  having  a  population  of  70,OOC 
or  more  and  there  are  now  probate  courts  in  the  counties 
of  Kane,  LaSalle,  Madison,  Peoria,  Rock  Island,  Sang- 
amon,  St.  Clair,  Vermilion,  and  Will  besides  Cook  County 
The  probate  court  has  charge  and  control  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  estates  or  property  of  deceased  and  of  insam 
persons,  and  of  minors.  Each  probate  court  has  one  judge, 
elected  by  the  people  of  the  county  on  the  Tuesday  aftei 
the  first  Monday  in  November  every  four  years  beginning 
1882,  e.g.,  1910  and  1914.  The  term  of  office  begins  on  the 
first  Monday  in  December  next  after  election. 

County  Courts.  In  each  county  there  is  also  a  county 
court  held  at  the  county  seat,  in  which  cases  for  the 
collection  of  taxes  are  brought,  which,  in  counties  without 
probate  courts,  does  the  probate  work,  and  which  has  a 
number  of  other  special  functions  given  by  statutes,  such 
as  passing  upon  questions  of  alleged  insanity.  The  judge 
of  the  county  court  has  also  important  duties  in  connection 
with  the  election  machinery,  particularly  in  counties  in 
which  a  city  has  adopted  the  city  election  law.* 

Each  county  court  has  one  judge  elected  from  the  county 
on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November  every 
four  years  beginning  1882,  e.g.,  1910  and  1914.  The  term 
begins  on  the  first  Monday  in  December  after  the  election. 
Judges  of  county  and  probate  courts  are  elected  at  the 
same  time  as  the  county  clerk  and  members  of  the  Gen- 

*See  p.  46. 


STATE   GOVERNMENT  89 

eral  Assembly  in  the  elections  between  the  elections  of 
governor.  Because  of  the  time  of  the  election,  the  choice 
of  the  probate  judge  and  of  the  county  judge  and  of  the 
county  clerk  is  apt  to  be  unduly  influenced  by  considera- 
tions of  party  politics. 

Courts  of  Cook  County.  Cook  County  has  a  probate 
court  and  a  county  court,  which  correspond  exactly  to  pro- 
bate courts  and  county  courts  respectively  in  other  coun- 
ties. Corresponding  to  the  circuit  courts  of  other  coun- 
ties, Cook  County  has  three  courts,  called  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cook  County,  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County  and 
the  Criminal  Court  of  Cook  County.  The  name  of  the 
Criminal  Court  of  Cook  County  explains  the  work  of  that 
court.  The  court  is  held  by  judges  assigned  from  the  cir- 
cuit and  the  superior  courts  by  the  judges  of  those  courts 
respectively.  The  Circuit  and  the  Superior  Courts  of  Cook 
County  have  concurrent  jurisdiction;  that  means,  that 
almost  any  case  which  can  be  brought  in  one,  can  be 
brought  as  well  in  the  other.  Each  has  the  same  work  as  a 
circuit  court  in  another  county,  minus  the  criminal  work. 
And  their  judges  must  have  the  same  qualifications  as 
circuit  judges  in  other  counties. 

There  are  now  fourteen  judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Cook  County,  elected  at  the  same  time  as  other  judges  and 
for  the  same  term,  and  eighteen  judges  of  the  Superior  Court, 
who  serve  for  a  term  of  six  years  each,  but  are  elected  in 
different  years.  An  act  of  the  General  Assembly  passed  in 
1911  governs  future  elections  of  judges  of  the  Superior 
Court.  There  will  be  one  judge  elected  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  June  every  six  years,  beginning  1915;  six  on  the 
first  Monday  in  June  every  six  years,  beginning  1916;  four 
on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November  every 
six  years,  beginning  1911;  one  on  the  first  Tuesday  in 
April  every  six  years  beginning  1913.  Each  of  these  twelve 
judges  takes  office  on  the  first  Monday  in  the  December 
after  his  election.  The  other  six  judges  are  elected  on  the 
Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November  every  six 


90  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

years  beginning  1911  and  take  office  as  soon  after  election 
as  they  can  qualify. 

Juvenile  Court.  In  counties  having  over  500,000  popu- 
lation the  judges  of  the  circuit  court  are  allowed  to  assign 
one  or  more  of  their  number  to  hear  only  cases  arising 
under  the  law  concerning  offenses  by  minors.  The  judges 
so  assigned  sit  in  separate  rooms  or  building  from  the 
rest  of  the  court  and  keep  a  separate  record.  This 
special  branch  of  the  circuit  court  is  called  the  "juvenile 
court";  and  in  each  county  where  there  is  a  juvenile  court, 
cases  against  delinquent  children  under  a  certain  age  may 
be  brought  from  any  other  place  where  they  may  be  begun 
and  handled  immediately  by  the  juvenile  court.  Officers, 
called  probation  officers,  are  employed  by  the  county  to 
investigate  the  conditions  surrounding  any  child  to  be 
brought  before  the  court  and  to  advise  concerning  the 
treatment  of  the  child. 

All  the  judges  of  the  courts  so  far  described  are  con- 
stitutional officers.  Therefore  the  legislature  cannot  au- 
thorize women  to  vote  in  their  election.  Their  salaries  are 
fixed  by  statute;  most  of  them  receive  $10,000  a  year. 

Justices  of  the  Peace,  Police  Magistrates,  City  Courts. 
In  addition  to  these  judges  there  are  certain  other  judicial 
officers  holding  courts  which  are  limited  to  lesser  cases 
and  to  cases  that  may  be  brought  in  the  circuit  court  and 
involve  only  small  amounts  or  lesser  offenses.  Justices  of 
the  peace  and  police  magistrates  each  holding  court,  with- 
out a  clerk  in  his  private  office,  exist  in  most  parts  of  the 
state,  even  in  the  cites.*  In  Chicago  there  are  no  justices 
of  the  peace  or  police  magistrates.  There  is  instead  a 
special  system  of  courts  called  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chi- 
cago. And  in  every  city  containing  as  many  as  3,000  popula- 
tion there  may  be  established  a  city  court  in  addition  to  the 
police  magistrates  and  justices  of  the  peace.  The  jurisdic- 
tion of  each  city  court  and  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chi- 
cago is  limited  to  the  geographical  limits  of  the  city  in 

*See  p.  61. 


STATE    GOVERNMENT  91 

which  it  is  situated.  The  attorney-general  has  held  that 
the  judges  of  the  city  courts  do  not  hold  a  constitutional 
office  and  are  city  officers  within  the  terms  of  the  woman's 
suffrage  act,  and  that  women  may  vote  at  the  election  of 
judges  of  the  city  courts.  Within  the  limits  of  its  city  each 
city  court  has  concurrent  jurisdiction  with  the  circuit  court 
in  both  civil  and  criminal  cases,  but  the  term  of  judges  is 
four  years  only. 

Municipal  Court  of  Chicago.  The  Municipal  Court  of 
Chicago  was  established  in  1906  with  twenty-eight  judges, 
one  of  whom  was  chief  justice.  There  are  now  thirty-one. 
The  largest  number  that  can  be  provided  is  thirty-six.  To 
be  a  judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  a  person  must  be  at 
least  thirty  years  old,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and 
for  the  five  years  preceding  the  election  he  must  have  been 
both  a  resident  of  Cook  County  and  either  a  lawyer  or 
engaged  in  the  duties  of  some  judicial  office.  The  term  of 
each  officer  is  six  years,  and  begins  on  the  first  Monday  of 
December  following  his  election.  The  election  occurs  on 
the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November.  The 
chief  justice  and  eleven  of  the  associate  justices  are  elected 
every  six  years  from  1912;  nine  associate  justices  are 
elected  every  six  years  beginning  1908;  and  ten  associate 
justices  every  six  years  from  1910.  It  is  similar  to  other 
city  courts,  but  its  jurisdiction  is  confined  to  cases  enumer- 
ated in  the  special  act. 

Salaries.  Outside  of  Cook  County,  judges  of  the  cir- 
cuit court  and  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  receive 
their  salary  from  the  state  treasury.  Judges  of  the  cir- 
cuit and  superior  courts  of  Cook  County  receive  from  the 
state  treasury  each  the  same  salary  as  a  judge  of  a  circuit 
court  outside  of  Cook  County,  but  the  constitution  pro- 
vides that  as  to  them  an  additional  compensation  may  be 
allowed  by  law  to  be  paid  from  the  treasury  of  Cook  Coun- 
ty. Judges  of  the  probate  court  receive  a  salary  fixed 
by  statute  and  payable  out  of  the  county  treasury.  Judges 
of  .the  county  courts  receive  from  the  county  a  salary  fixed 


92  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

by  the  county  board.  Judges  of  city  courts  and  of  the 
Municipal  Court  of  Chicago  receive  salaries  fixed  by  stat- 
ute and  payable  out  of  the  city  treasury.  Justices  of  the 
peace  and  constables  receive  no  salary,  but  gain  compen- 
sation through  the  fees  that  are  assessed  in  their  individual 
courts. 

Courts  of  Record.  All  the  .courts  described,  except 
those  of  justices  and  of  police  magistrates,  are  called  courts 
of  record.  That  is  to  say,  each  document  or  paper  filed  in 
each  such  court  is  both  recorded  and  preserved,  and  orders 
and  judgments  are  carefully  written  up.  Each  court  of 
record  has  a  clerk  to  preserve  the  files,  to  write  and  to  pre- 
serve the  records  of  the  courts,  and  to  have  the  custody 
and  use  of  the  seal.  The  county  clerk  is  ex-officio  clerk  of 
the  county  court.  Each  other  clerk  of  court  is  elected  from 
the  territorial  subdivision  that  his  court  serves.  While  the 
office  of  clerk  of  court  is  not  apparently  in  itself  of  great 
importance,  it  is  probably  worth  noting  that  many  men 
who  have  been  active  in  partisan,  or  party  politics  have 
held  these  positions.  Women  may  vote  for  clerks  of  the 
appellate  courts,  and  for  clerks  of  city  courts  and  for  clerk 
of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago.* 

REFERENCES. 

Constitution  of  Illinois  (1870),  particularly  Articles  III,  IV,  V 
and  VI. 

Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911) 

Chap.  23,  "Charities"    (Juvenile  Court,  11169  ff.). 
"      25,  "Clerks  of  Court." 
37,  "Courts." 
46.  "Elections." 
53,  "Fees  and  Salaries." 
"      63,  "General  Assembly." 
"     124,  "Secretary  of  State." 
"    130,  "State  Treasurer." 
Laws  of  Illinois  (1913) 

p.  203,  "Public  Utilities  Commission." 

p.  521,  "Roads  and  Bridges — Highway  Commission." 


*For  the  purposes  of  this  discussion  it  has  been  assumed  that  the 
holding  of  the  attorney-general  as  to  the  right  of  women  to  vote  for  judges 
and  clerks  of  city  courts  applies  also  to  the  Municipal  Court  of  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  NATIONAL,  OR  FEDERAL,  GOVERNMENT 

The  United  States  is  a  union  of  the  separate  states. 
The  government  of  the  United  States,  a  government  of 
delegated  or  limited  powers,  created  by  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  is  supreme  over  the  state  governments, 
in  those  matters  entrusted  to  it.  These  are,  of  course, 
matters  of  interest  common  to  the  states,  such  as  foreign 
affairs,  and  matters  involving  the  relations  between  the 
states,  such  as  interstate  commerce  or  a  disagreement  be- 
tween states — e.g.,  the  disagreement  between  Illinois  and 
Missouri  concerning  the  Illinois  Drainage  Canal.  The 
Constitution  and  the  laws  that  Congress  passes  and  the 
foreign  treaties  made  under  it  are  then  the  supreme  law 
of  the  land.* 

The  national  government  is  organized  on  the  same  plan 
as  the  state  governments.  There  are  three  departments — 
the,  legislative,  the  executive,  and  the  judicial. 

THE   LEGISLATIVE    DEPARTMENT. 

Congress,  which  is  the  legislative  department  of  the 
national  government,  is  regulated  by  the  provisions  found 
in  Article  I  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

Congress  consists  of  two  branches,  or  houses ;  the  upper, 
called  the  Senate,  composed  of  two  members  from  each 
state,  called  senators.  These  members,  or  senators,  have 
until  1913  been  elected  by  the  state  legislatures,!  but  here- 
after in  accordance  with  the  Seventeenth  Amendment  to 
the  Constitution,  which  was  proclaimed  in  effect  on  May 
30,  1913,  they  will  be  elected  directly  by  the  people  of  the 

•See  Art.  I.  §  10.  See  Art.  IV  and  the  statement  concerning  state 
government,  p.  73. 

tin  some  states,  state  constitutional  provisions  or  a  statute  bound 
the  legislature  to  follow  in  its  election  the  choice  of  the  people,  who 
voted  themselves  upon  the  senatorial  candidates.  In  this  way  a  kind 
of  popular  election  of  senators  had  been  secured  before  the  amend- 
ment to  the  federal  constitution. 

93 


94  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

state  they  represent.  The  term  of  office  is  six  years ;  and 
one-third  of  the  total  number  of  senators  is  elected  every 
two  years,  so  that  at  no  time  is  the  Senate  composed  en- 
tirely of  new  members.  In  Illinois  the  next  regular  elec- 
tions of  senators  will  be  of  one  senator  on  November  2, 
1915,  and  of  one  senator  on  November  4,  1919.  A  senator 
must  be  thirty  years  of  age ;  he  must  have  been  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  nine  years ;  and  he  must  be,  at  the  time  of 
his  election,  a  resident  of  the  state  from  which  he  is 
elected. 

The  lower  house  of  Congress,  called  the  House  of 
Representatives,  consists  of  members  elected  by  the  people 
of  the  states,  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  the  total  num- 
ber of  representatives  is  elected  every  two  years.  The 
election  in  Illinois  is  on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Mon- 
day in  November  at  the  same  time  as  the  election  of  the 
members  of  the  state  General  Assembly.  There  are  at  the 
present  time  433  members  of  the  national  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. They  are  "apportioned  among  the  several 
states  according  to  their  respective  numbers,  counting  the 
whole  number  of  persons  in  each  state,  excluding  Indians 
not  taxed."*  In  order  to  determine  the  number  of  people 
in  each  state,  a  census  is  taken  every  ten  years.  After  each 
census  a  new  apportionment  of  representatives  is  made. 
The  last  census  was  taken  in  1910.  It  showed  a  popula- 
tion of  5,638,591  for  Illinois.  The  act  of  Congress  making 
the  apportionment  in  accordance  with  this  census  gives 
twenty-seven  representatives  to  the  state  of  Illinois.  Illi- 
nois now  has  twenty-five  congressional  districts,  which 
was  its  apportionment  under  the  census  of  1900  ;f  one 
representative  is  chosen  from  each  district  and  two  are 
elected  from  the  state  as  a  whole.  It  is  now  the  duty  of 
the  Illinois  General  Assembly  to  redivide  the  state  into 
twenty-seven  congressional  districts,  containing  as  nearly 
as  possible  an  equal  number  of  inhabitants.  The  reap- 

*Constitti.tion  V.  8.    Amendment  XIV,   Sec.    2. 
tSeo  p.  117. 


NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT  95 

portionment  has  not  been  made  yet.  When  it  is,  one  repre- 
sentative will  be  elected  from  each  district.  A  member 
of  the  national  House  of  Representatives  must  be  twenty- 
five  years  of  age;  he  must  have  been  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  seven  years ;  and  he  must  be,  at  the  time  of  his  elec- 
tion, an  inhabitant  of  the  state  from  which  he  is-  chosen. 

One  who  votes  for  members  of  either  house  of  Con- 
gress must  be  qualified  by  the  laws  of  his  own  state  to 
vote  for  members  of  its  house  of  representatives.* 

A  vacancy  in  either  house  of  Congress  is  filled  by  an 
election  called  for  that  purpose  in  the  district  or  in  the 
state  in  which  the  vacancy  occurs.  But  the  legislatures 
may  pass  laws  authorizing  the  governor  to  make  tem- 
porary appointments  to  vacancies  in  the  Senate. 

The  vice-president  is  ex-ofhcio,  the  presiding  officer  of 
the  Senate  and  is  called  the  president  of  the  Senate.  He 
cannot  vote  in  the  Senate  unless  it  is  equally  divided.  When 
the  vice-president  is  absent  or  is  acting  as  president,  the 
Senate  choses  a  president  pro  tempore  from  among  its  own 
members.  The  presiding  officer  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives is  called  the  speaker;  he  is  chosen  by  the  house 
from  among  its  members. 

Congress  meets  regularly  once  each  year  in  the  national 
capital  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  beginning  the  first  Monday 
in  December.  A  majority  is  a  quorum  to  do  business  in 
each  house.  But  when  the  electoral  votes  fail  to  elect  a 
president  or  a  vice-president,  two-thirds  of  the  total  num- 
ber of  senators  is  required  as  a  quorum  for  the  Senate  to 
vote  for  vice-president,  and  a  quorum  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  to  vote  for  president  consists  of  at  least 
one  member  from  each  of  two-thirds  of  the  states.  Neither 
house  can  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days  without  the 
consent  of  the  other,  nor  adjourn  to  any  place  than  the 
one  where  they  both  meet.  Each  house  is  judge  of  the 
elections,  returns,  and  qualifications  of  its  own  members. 


96  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

may  punish  a  member  for  disorderly  conduct,  and  by  a 
two-thirds  vote  may  expel  a  member. 

The  salary  of  members  of  Congress  is  fixed  by  act  of 
Congress  and  paid  from  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  now  $7,500  per  year  in  each  house. 

In  all  cases,  except  treason,  felony,  and  breach  of  the 
peace,  members  of  Congress  are  privileged  from  arrest  dur- 
ing their  attendance  at  the  session  of  their  respective 
houses,  and  in  going  to,  and  returning  from,  the  same; 
and  they  may  not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place  for  any 
speech  or  debate  in  either  house. 

No  senator  or  representative  may  have  any  other  office 
under  the  United  States. 

The  Constitution  says  Congress  shall  have  power : 

1.  To  lay  and  collect  taxes,   duties,  imposts,  and  excises,   to 
pay  the  debts,  and  provide  for  the  common  defence  and  general 
welfare,  of  the  United  States;  but  all  duties,  imposts,  and  excises, 
shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  United  States: 

2.  To  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the  United  States: 

3.  To   regulate   commerce   with   foreign   nations,   and   among 
the  several  states,  and  with  the  Indian  tribes: 

4.  To    establish    a    uniform   rule    of    naturalization,    and    uni- 
form laws  on  the  subject  of  bankruptcies,  throughout  the  United 
States: 

5.  To   coin   money,    regulate   the    value   thereof,   and    of    foreign 
coin,  and  fix  the  standard  of  weights  and  measures: 

6.  To  provide  for  the  punishment  of  counterfeiting  the  securi- 
ties and  current  coin  of  the  United  States: 

7.  To  establish  post-offices  and  post-roads: 

8.  To  promote   the   progress   of  science   and  useful   arts,   by 
securing,  for  limited  times,  to  authors  and  inventors,  the  exclusive 
right  to  their  respective  writings  and  discoveries: 

9.  To  constitute  tribunals  inferior  to  the  Supreme  Court: 

10.  To    define    and    punish    piracies    and    felonies,    committed    on 
the  high  seas,  and  offences  against  the  law  of  nations: 

11.  To  declare  war,  grant  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal,  and 
make  rules  concerning  captures  on  land  and  water: 

12.  To    raise    and    support    armies;    but    no    appropriation    of 
money  to  that  use  shall  be  for  a  longer  term  than  two  years: 

13.  To  provide  and  maintain  a  navy: 


NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT  97 

14.  To  make  rules  for  the  government  and  regulation   of  the 
land  and  naval  forces: 

15.  To   provide   for   calling   forth    the    militia   to   execute    the 
laws  of  the  Union,  suppress  insurrections,  and  repel  invasions: 

16.  To    provide    for    organizing,    arming,    and     disciplining     the 
militia,  and  for  governing  such  part  of  them  as  may  be  employed 
in  the   service   of  the  United   States,   reserving  to   the   states   re- 
spectively the   appointment   of  the   officers,   and  the  authority  of 
training    the    militia,    according   to    the    discipline   prescribed   by 
Congress: 

17.  To   exercise  exclusive  legislation   in  all  cases  whatsoever, 
over  such   district   (not  exceeding  ten   miles   square)   as  may,  by 
cession  of  particular  states,  and  the  acceptance  of  Congress,  be- 
come  the   seat  of  the  government  of  the  United   States,  and   to 
exercise  like  authority  over  all  places,  purchased  by  the  consent 
of  the  legislature  of  the  state  in  which  the  same  shall  be,  for  the 
erection  of  forts,  magazines,  arsenals,  dock-yards,  and  other  need- 
ful buildings: — And 

18.  To  make  all  laws  which  shall  be  necessary  and  proper  for 
carrying  into  execution  the  foregoing  powers,  and  all  other  pow- 
ers vested  by  this  Constitution  in  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  or  in  any  department  or  officer  thereof. 

The  House  of  Representatives  has  sole  power  to  im- 
peach an  officer  of  the  United  States ;  the  Senate  has  sole 
power  to  try  an  impeachment.  When  the  president  of  the 
United  States  is  tried,  the  chief  justice  of  the  United  States 
presides. 

Acts  of  Congress  are  subject  to  veto  by  the  president; 
that  is,  before  any  one  of  them  becomes  effective  it  must 
either  be  signed  and  approved  by  the  president,  or  passed 
over  his  veto  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  of  each 
house  of  Congress.  But  if  the  president  fails  either  to  ap- 
prove or  to  object  to  a  law  for  a  certain  length  of  time,  it 
is  understood  that  he  has  approved  it.  The  Senate  acts  also 
as  a  check  to  the  president,  who  cannot  make  treaties  or 
appoint  ambassadors  and  certain  other  public  officials  with- 
out its  approval. 

There  are  several  acts  that  Congress  is  expressly  for- 
bidden to  perform.  Congress  cannot,  for  example,  enact 
laws  that  take  away  the  right  of  habeas  corpus  (except  in 


98  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

case  of  rebellion  or  invasion  or  when  public  safety  re- 
quires), or  any  bill  of  attainder,  or  any  ex  post  facto  laws, 
or  any  law  that  places  a  tax  or  duty  on  exports  from  any 
state  or  gives  preference  to  the  ports  of  one  state  over 
another  or  grants  a  title  of  nobility. 

EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

-The  president  of  the  United  States  is  the  chief  executive. 
The  president  and  the  vice-president  have  the  same  quali- 
fications and  term  of  office  and  are  elected  at  the  same  time 
and  in  the  same  way.  No  person  can  be  president  or  vice- 
president  unless  he  is  a  natural-born  citizen,  thirty-five 
years  of  age  and  a  resident  within  the  United  States  four- 
teen years.  The  term  of  office  is  four  years.  People  do  not 
vote  directly  for  president  or  vice-president  but  for  "elec- 
tors," as  prescribed  in  the  Constitution,  viz. : 

Each  state  shall  appoint,  in  such  manner  as  the  legislature 
thereof  may  direct,  a  number  of  electors,  equal  to  the  whole  num- 
ber of  senators  and  representatives,  to  which  the  state  may  be 
entitled  in  the  Congress;-but  no  senator  or  representative,  or  per- 
son holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit,  under  the  United  States, 
shall  be  appointed  an  elector. 

Illinois  has  twenty-nine  electors,  who  are  chosen  by  gen- 
eral ticket  at  an  election  held  on  the  Tuesday  after  the 
first  Monday  in  November  every  four  years.  This  election 
is  called  the  presidential  election,  and  the  next  one  will  be 
on  November  7,  1916.  Women  may  vote  for  presidential 
electors. 

The  group  of  electors  in  each  state  is  called  the  electoral 
college  of  that  state.  Each  electoral  college  meets  in  its 
own  state  on  the  second  Wednesday  in  January.  This  day 
is  fixed  by  an  act  of  Congress  and  is  the  same  for  all 
the  states.  The  electors  then  vote  by  ballot  for  president 
and  vice-president,  who  must  be  from  different  states.  They 
name  in  their  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as  president,  and 
in  distinct  ballots  the  person  voted  for  as  vice-president; 
make  distinct  lists  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  president, 
and  of  all  persons  voted  for  as  vice-president,  and  of  the 


NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT  99 

number  of  votes  for  each.  These  lists  they  sign  and  certi-fy, 
and  send  sealed,  to  the  capital  of  the  United  States,  di- 
rected to  the  president  of  the  Senate.  On  the  second  Wed- 
nesday in  February  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives meet  together,  and  the  president  of  the  Senate 
opens  all  the  certificates,  and  the  votes  are  then  counted; 
the  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  presi- 
dent is  the  president,  if  such  number  is  a  majority  of  the 
whole  number  of  electors  selected ;  and  if  no  person  has 
such  a  majority,  then  the  House  of  Representatives  elects 
the  president,  voting  by  states  by  ballot  upon  not  more 
than  the  three  persons  having  the  highest  number  of 
electoral  votes  for  president.  The  person  having  the  great- 
est number  of  votes  as  vice-president  is  the  vice-presi- 
dent, if  such  number  be  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  of 
electors  selected ;  and  if  no  person  has  a  majority,  then, 
the  Senate1  elects  the  vice-president  from  the  two  persons 
having  the  highest  number  of  electoral  votes  for  vice- 
president. 

Before  a  presidential  election  each  political  party  in  the 
country  holds  a  convention  and  nominates  its  candidates 
for  president  and  vice-president,  and  the  persons  whose 
names  appear  on  the  ballot  as  candidates  to  be  presidential 
electors  pledge  themselves  to  vote  for  the  candidates  who 
have  been  nominated  by  their  own  political  party.  There- 
fore, as  soon  as  it  can  be  known  what  persons  have  been 
chosen  electors,  it  can  usually  be  told  who  will  be  presi- 
dent and  who  vice-president. 

The  president  and  the  vice-president  are  inaugurated 
and  take  office  on  the  fourth  day  of  March  in  the  year  after 
the  election.  At  the  inauguration  ceremony  on  that  day 
the  president  takes  the  following  oath  of  office : 

I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute 
the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best 
of  my  ability,  preserve,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

The  president  is  responsible  for  the  faithful  execution 


100  HANDBOOK  FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

of  the  laws.  He  is  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and 
navy  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  militia  of  the  several 
states,  when  they  are  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the 
United  States.  He  commissions  all .  the  officers  of  the 
United  States.  He  appoints  and  can  remove  the  heads  of 
the  executive  departments,  charged  with  the  execution  of 
federal  laws.  He  may  require  the  opinion,  in  writing,  of 
the  principal  officer  in  each  of  the  executive  departments 
upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective 
offices.  He  makes  treaties  which  the  Senate  must  approve 
by  a  two-thirds  vote;  he  nominates  and  appoints  ambas- 
sadors, other  public  ministers,  and  consuls,  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  all  other  officers  of  the  United 
States  whose  appointments  are  not  otherwise  provided  in 
the  Constitution ;  but  the  Senate  must  consent  to  any  nomi- 
nation and  appointment  before  it  becomes  effective.  Con- 
gress may,  however,  by  law  give  the  appointment  of  such 
inferior  officers,  as  they  think  proper,"  to  the  president 
alone,  to  the  courts  of  law,  or  to  the  heads  of  the  depart- 
ments. And  the  president  has  power  to  fill  all  vacancies 
that  may  happen  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate,  by  grant- 
ing commissions  which  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  the  next 
session. 

He  is  required  from  time  to  time  to  give  to  Congress 
information  as  to  the  condition  of  the  country  and  to 
recommend  such  measures  as  he  thinks  wise ;  he  may,  on 
extraordinary  occasions,  call  a  meeting  of  both  houses,  or 
either  of  them,  and  in  case  of  disagreement  between  them, 
with  respect  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  he  may  adjourn 
them  to  such  times  as  he  shall  think  proper;  he  receives 
ambassadors  and  other  public  ministers ;  and  he  has  power 
to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  offenses  against  the 
United  States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment. 

The  salary  of  the  president  is  now  $75,000,  and  he  can- 
not receive  any  other  pay  from  the  United  States  or  from 
any  state.  The  salary  of  the  vice-president  is  $12,000. 


NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT  101 

These  salaries  are  fixed  by  statute  and  cannot  be  changed 
during  a  term  of  office. 

The  executive  work  is  divided  into  ten  departments. 
The  head  of  each  one  is  appointed  by  the  president  and 
can  be  removed  by  him.  The  titles  of  these  heads  are  sec- 
retary of  state  (who  under  the  Senate  has  charge  of  foreign 
affairs),  secretary  of  treasury,  secretary  of  war,  attorney- 
general  (who  is  the  government's  lawyer  and  the  legal  ad- 
viser to  the  president),  postmaster-general,  secretary  of 
navy,  secretary  of  interior,  secretary  of  agriculture,  secre- 
tary of  commerce,  and  secretary  of  labor.  These  heads  of 
department  meet  with  the  president  and  are  called  his 
cabinet.  He  may  require  reports  in  regard  to  the  work  of 
particular  departments  and  is  entitled  to  their  advice.  No 
one  of  them  is  a  member  of  Congress  or  can  vote  in  Con- 
gress. 

The  vice-president  is  e.v-offtcio  president  of  the  Senate, 
but  he  can  vote  only  when  the  house  is  equally  divided. 
In  case  the  president  is  removed  from  office,  or  dies,  or  is 
unable  to  serve,  the  vice-president  becomes  president.  He 
then  ceases  to  act  as  president  of  the  Senate.  In  case  there 
is  neither  president  nor  vice-president,  the  succession  passes 
to  the  secretary  of  state,  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  the 
secretary  of  war,  the  attorney-general,  the  postmaster-gen- 
eral, secretary  of  the  navy,  secretary  of  the  interior;  but 
no  one  can  serve  as  president  unless  he  has  the  qualifica- 
tions prescribed  for  president,  and  unless  his  appointment 
to  office  has  been  made  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  Senate. 

The  president,  the  vice-president,  and  all  civil  officers 
of  the  United  States,  may  be  removed  from  office  by  im- 
peachment for,  and  conviction  of,  treason,  bribery,  or  other 
high  crimes  and  misdemeanors.  Impeachments  are 
brought  by  the  House  of  Representatives  and  must  be  tried 
by  the  Senate.  Judgment  in  cases  of  impeachment  extends 
only  to  removal  from  office,  and  disqualification  to  hold 
and  to  enjoy  any  office  under  the  United  States;  but  the 


102  HANDBOOK    FOR    WOMEN-    VOTERS 

party  convicted  is,  nevertheless,  liable  and  subject  to  a  sep- 
arate indictment,  trial,  judgment,  and  punishment,  accord- 
ing to  law  for  the  crime  he  has  committed  and  on  account 
of  which  he  has  been  impeached. 

THE  JUDICIAL  DEPARTMENT. 

The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  is  vested  in  a 
Supreme  Court,  created  by  the  Constitution,  and  in  the 
lower  courts,  created  by  Congress. 

The  judges  of  both  the  Supreme  and  the  inferior  courts 
hold  their  offices  during  good  behavior,  that  is,  almost 
always  for  life. 

The  judicial  power  extends  to  all  cases  arising  under 
the  Constitution  or  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  un- 
der treaties ;  to  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  pub- 
lic ministers,  and  consuls ;  to  all  cases  of  admiralty  and 
maritime  jurisdiction ;  to  controversies  between  two  or  more 
states,  between  a  state  and  citizens  of  another  state  (but 
this  does  not  give  citizens  of  one  state  authority  to  sue  an- 
other state,  or  citizens  of  a  foreign  state  authority  to  sue 
any  state)  ;  to  controversies  between  citizens  of  different 
states,  between  citizens  of  the  same  state,  claiming  lands 
under  grants  of  different  states,  and  between  a  state  or  its 
citizens  and  foreign  states,  citizens,  or  subjects ;  cases  arising 
under  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  such  as  crimes  against 
federal  laws,  e.  g.,  the  postal  laws ;  cases  under  the  patent 
or  copyright  laws  and  bankruptcy  matters.  All  cases  affect- 
ing ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and  consuls,  and 
those  in  which  a  state  shall  be  a  party,  may  be  begun  in 
the  Supreme  Court.  But  in  most  cases,  the  Supreme  Court 
has  appellate  jurisdiction  only. 

The  Supreme  Court  is  composed  of  a  chief  justice  and 
eight  associate  justices.  Any  six  constitute  a  quorum  for 
a  session  of  the  court,  which  meets  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
If  the  office  of  the  chief  justice  is  vacant  or  he  is  unable  to 
act,  the  associate  justice  of  longest  tenure  acts  as  chief 


NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT  103 

justice  until  the  vacancy  is  filled  or  the  chief  justice  is  able 
to  act. 

Below  the  Supreme  Court  is  the  Circuit  Court  of  Ap- 
peals, established  in  1891,  in  nine  circuits.  No  suits  can  be 
begun  in  this  court,  which  merely  passes  upon  and  reviews 
the  work  of  the  district  courts  and  is  meant  to  relieve  the 
Supreme  Court  of  all  except  the  most  important  cases.  On 
each  circuit  there  are  three  judges,  from  the  Supreme  Court 
or  from  the  district  courts,  usually  from  the  district  courts. 
Illinois  is  in  the  seventh  judicial  circuit,  which  includes  In- 
diana, Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  This  court  meets  at  Chicago 
at  three  different  times  during  the  year. 

The  lowest  federal  courts  are  called  United  States  dis- 
trict courts.  The  territory  of  the  United  States  is  divided 
into  seventy-nine  districts,  and  sometimes  these  judicial 
districts  are  divided  into  divisions.  In  each  district  there 
is  one  court,  but  in  some  districts  there  are  two  judges. 
Chicago  and  all  of  Cook  County  are  in  the  eastern  division 
of  the  northern  district  of  Illinois.  In  this  division  the 
court  meets  at  Chicago.  In  each  district  there  is  one  dis- 
trict attorney,  who  is  lawyer  for  the  government  and  the 
local  representative  of  the  attorney-general. 

In  addition  to  the  courts  already  described,  there  are 
some  other  federal  courts  which  have  to  do  only  with  spe- 
cial matters  or  the  enforcement  of  particular  laws.  Among 
them  are  the  United  States  Court  of  Claims,  which  con- 
siders such  claims  against  the  government  as  can  be  pre- 
sented, and  the  Court  of  Customs  Appeals.  The  United 
States  Commerce  Court,  recently  abolished  by  Congress,  was 
such  a  special  court,  considering  only  cases  which  arose  under 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Law. 

REFERENCES. 

Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  its  17  amendments. 
Federal   Statutes   Annotated,   and    the   supplements    thereto    (par- 
ticularly the  titles,  "Congress,"  "Judiciary,"  "President"). 

Kurd's  Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois   (1911),  Chap.  46,  "Elections." 
Illinois  Laws  of  1913,  p.  307  ff.,  "Elections." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REVENUE 

The  cost  of  government  is  very  great.  There  .  are  the 
salaries  of  public  officials,  the  erection  and  the  maintenance 
of  buildings,  the  constant  extension  of  public  improvements. 
Independently  of  the  support  of  the  army  and  navy,  of  the 
maintenance  of  their  equipment,  and  the  conduct  of  the 
training-schools  at  West  Point  and  Annapolis,  and  of  the  pen- 
sions, which  amount  now  to  over  $152,000,000,  it  is  necessary 
to  raise  annually  sufficient  revenue  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  various  jurisdictions  to  which  attention  has  been  called. 
This  is  done  in  several  ways : 

1.  By  levying  general  taxes. 

2.  By  levying  special  assessments. 

3.  By  collecting  fees  for  special  services. 

4.  By  borrowing,  through  the  issue  of  bonds. 

5.  By  appropriating  the  income  from  public  utilities. 

6.  By  appropriating  the  income  from  public  property. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  several  different  governments 
may  exist  in  the  same  territory.  Each  of  these  may  have  the 
power  to  obtain  revenue  from  various  sources.  The  proceed- 
ing then  becomes  very  complicated  and  difficult.  For  example, 
Professor  Charles  E.  Merriam  pointed  out  in  a  report  made 
to  the  City  Club  of  Chicago  that  in  1906  there  were  eight 
separate  authorities  lying  wholly  within  the  limits  of  Chi- 
cago, each  of  which  might  have  the  power  to  levy  more  than 
one  kind  of  tax.  For  instance,  the  city  itself  might  levy  a 
tax  for  its  own  corporate  purposes  proper  and  for  use  of  the 
Board  of  Education  and  for  use  of  the  Public  Library  Board. 
In  addition  to  these  there  are  five  towns  and  several  park 
districts  lying  wholly  or  partly,  and  the  Sanitary  District 


REVENUE  105 

largely,  within  its  limits.  Obviously,  then,  no  complete  de- 
scription of  so  complicated  a  process  as  the  assessment  or 
valuation  of  taxable  property,  and  the  levying,  rating,  dis- 
tributing and  extending  of  the  different  taxes  thereon  and  the 
collection  of  revenues  therefrom  in  Illinois  can  be  under- 
taken here.  An  effort  will  be  made  only  to  point  out  the 
differences  between  the  various  methods  to  which  reference 
has  been  made. 

1.     GENERAL,  TAXES. 

(a)  The  Federal  Government.  Taxes  to  support  the 
federal  government  are  imposed  by  Congress  under  the  au- 
thority conferred  by  the  federal  Constitution  and  subject 
(excepting  only  the  income  tax  of  the  Sixteenth  Amend- 
ment) to  the  restrictions,  among  others,  that  the  taxes  must 
be  uniform  and  such  as  will  not  discriminate  between  states. 

(1)  Tariff  Duties.     One  of  the  chief  sources  of  income 
for  the  federal  government  has  been  in  the  past  the  duties 
paid  upon  certain  imported  articles.     The  person  importing 
duitable  articles  adds  to  the  price  of  the  article  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  amount  of  the  tax;   so  that  the  consumers  of 
dutiable  articles  are  the  ones  from  whom  this  revenue  is  ulti- 
mately largely  obtained.    Tariff  duties  have  been  imposed  in 
the  past  not  only  to  obtain  revenue,  but  to  protect  certain 
American  industries  against  the  competition  of  foreign-made 
goods.     Whether  they  should  be  imposed   for  protective  as 
well  as  for  revenue  purposes  has  been  one  of  the  points  on 
which  the  great  national  parties  have  differed  and  has  there- 
for been  one  of  the  chief  issues  in  the  presidential  campaigns. 
In  1912,  the  amount  of  revenue  collected  in  this  way  amounted 
to  $311,321,672. 

(2)  Excise  Duties.     Another  source  of  income  resorted 
to  by  Congress  is  the  taxation  of  certain  articles  manufactured 
in  the  United  States.     These  taxes  are  known  as  "internal 
revenue  taxes,  or  excise  duties,"  and  are  laid  generally  upon 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  articles  classed  as  luxuries  rather 
than   necessaries.     Alcoholic    and   malt    liquors   and   tobacco 


106  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

products  are  the  most  conspicuous  articles  in  this  list.  Oleo- 
margarine and  renovated  butter  are  also  thus  taxed  to  regu- 
late the  industry  and  to  guard  against  impositions.  In  1912, 
the  income  obtained  from  excise  duties  was  $321,615,894.69. 

(3)  Stamp  Duties.     In  times  of  war  and  of  other  na- 
tional emergency  other  articles  are  added  to  the  list  of  taxed 
articles,  and  certain  transactions  are  likewise  taxed  by  requir- 
ing a  stamp  to  be  placed  on  the  document  -by  which  the  trans- 
action  is  accomplished.     For   example,   during  the   Spanish- 
American  War,  contracts,  receipts,  checks,  notes,  bonds,  deeds 
and  similar  instruments  were  taxed,  and  a  revenue  stamp  had 
to  be  placed  on  each  document. 

(4)  Income   Tax.     A   source  of  income  which  has   be- 
come constitutionally  available  only  since  the  adoption  of  the 
Sixteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  is  now  provided  by  a 
section  of  the  new  tariff  law,  which  provides  for  the  taxation 
of  incomes.    Under  this  law,  which  was  approved  by  President 
Wilson  only  on  October  3,  1913,  but  referred  back  to  March 
1,  1913,  a  percentage  tax  is  levied  on  annual  net  incomes  ex- 
ceeding $3,000  in  the  case  of  an  unmarried  person  and  of 
$4,000  for  each  family  in  the  case  of  married  persons. 

(b)  State  Taxation.  The  sources  from  which  a  state 
obtains  its  revenues  are,  of  course,  quite  different.  No  state 
can  charge  import  or  export  duties.  Its,  chief  taxes  are  those 
levied  on  real  and  personal  property,  and  it  places  license  fees 
upon  a  number  of  articles  and  occupations. 

The  state  constitution  imposes  certain  restrictions  under 
which  the  legislature  levies  taxes  for  state  purposes  and 
authorizes  the  counties,  cities,  sanitary  districts,  municipalities, 
school  districts  and  other  subordinate  jurisdictions  to  levy 
taxes  for  their  respective  purposes.  The  constitutional  limita- 
tions that  should  be  noted  are  that  (1)  taxes  must  be  uniform 
with  respect  to  persons  and  property  within  the  jurisdiction; 
(2)  county  authorities  shall  not  levy  any  taxes  in  an  aggregate 
over  seventy-five  cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars  of  the 
valuation  of  its  taxable  property;  and  (3)  the  total  bonded 
debt  (with  certain  specified  exceptions)  of  any  county,  city, 


REVENUE  107 

township,  school  district  or  other  municipal  corporation  is 
limited  to  5  per  cent  of  the  value  of  its  taxable  property 
as  fixed  by  the  last  equalized  assessment  for  state  and  county 
purposes. 

The  legislature,  too,  in  authorizing  different  tax  levies 
makes  similar  limitations  in  different  percentages  to  the 
amount  that  may  be  assessed.  For  example,  a  statute,  which 
in  1909  allowed  the  boards  of  park  commissioners  to  assess 
an  annual  park  tax,  limited  that  tax  to  \l/2  mills  on  each 
dollar  of  taxable  property  in  the  park  district. 

Limitations  of  this  kind  may  apply  to  a  particular  taxing 
authority  or  to  a  particular  kind  of  tax.  Under  a  statute, 
enacted  in  1898  with  later  important  amendments,  known  as 
the  Juul  law,  however,  the  aggregate  of  all  taxes  extended 
and  collected  (except  special  assessments  and  some  other  par- 
ticular taxes)  in  any  given  locality  is  limited  to  5  per  cent  of 
the  assessed  value  of  the  taxable  property,  which  is  one-third 
of  the  supposed  actual  value  of  the  property.  The  way  in 
which  this  works  is  as  follows :  Each  taxing  authority  makes 
a  certain  tax  levy  against  the  real  and  personal  property  in 
its  jurisdiction.  When  the  sum  of  these  separate  levies  makes 
an  aggregate  amount  above  the  5  per  cent  limit  set  by  the 
Juul  law,  all  are  scaled  down  to  that  limit  and  then  proportion- 
ately distributed  between  and  extended  against  the  taxable 
properties.  The  actual  extending  of  the  scaled  tax  levies  are 
consolidated  in  the  hands  of  the  county  clerk.  The  collector 
of  each  taxing  body  then  proceeds  to  collect  its  tax  as  ex- 
tended, but  seldom  collects  much.  The  bulk  of  each  tax  is 
returned  as  delinquent  to  the  county  collector,  who  proceeds 
to  collect  for  all  the  different  taxing  bodies  and  to  force  the 
payment  of  the  taxes  by  getting  an  order  of  the  county  court 
to  sell  the  different  taxable  properties  of  taxpayers  for  any 
of  the  unpaid  taxes,  and  to  make  such  sales  annually.  Within 
the  limits  of  Chicago,  for  example,  all  general  taxes,  whether 
payable  for  state,  county,  school,  city,  township,  sanitary  dis- 
trict or  park  purposes,  are  extended  through  the  county  clerk 
and  collected  through  the  county  collector,  who  pays  over  to 


108  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

the  various  taxing  authorities  their  respective  taxes  so  col- 
lected. 

2.     SPECIAL  ASSESSMENTS. 

Special  assessments  and  special  taxes  are  not  used  to  pro- 
vide revenue  for  general  purposes,  but  are  assessed  to  pay 
for  particular  improvements,  such  as  sewers,  sidewalks,  and 
street  paving,  and  are  charged  against  such  real  estate  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  improvement  as  is  found  to  be  especially 
benefited  thereby,  each  piece  in  proportion  to  its  benefits. 
They  are  used  by  the  so-called  local  authorities,  as  the  city, 
village  or  park  district,  but  may  be  turned  over  to  the 
county  collector  for  collection  along  with  the  general  taxes. 


Fees  assume  two  forms.  The  first  is  that  of  payment  for 
special  services,  as  the  recording  of  a  deed,  entering  of  a 
record,  furnishing  of  a  copy,  etc.  There  are  a  number  of  so- 
called  "fee"  offices  connected  with  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice and  the  execution  of  court  orders.  The  second  is  that  of 
license  fees,  which  are  sometimes  resorted  to  as  a  police 
measure,  that  is,  a  means  of  defraying  the  cost  of  regulating 
the  licensed  trades  or  occupations,  and  sometimes  chiefly  to 
obtain  revenue,  e.  g.,  saloon-keepers  and  peddlers.  Auc- 
tioneers, brokers,  peddlers,  hawkers,  merchants,  commis- 
sion merchants,  showmen,  jugglers,  innkeepers,  grocery 
keepers,  liquor  dealers,  toll  bridges,  telegraph  and  express 
businesses,  vendors  of  patents,  persons  and  corporations  using 
franchises  or  privileges  are  among  the  objects  and  occupa- 
tions named  in  the  constitution  as  subject  to  taxation  irre- 
spective of  value.  Cities  and  villages  usually  have  extensive 
licensing  authority,  and  in  1911,  Chicago  received  from  this 
source  a  gross  amount  of  $8,201,520.17.  , 

4.     BORROWING    POWER. 

The  borrowing  power  is  exercised  from  time  to  time  by 
each  taxing  authority  in  order  to  obtain  a  sum  necessary  for 
some  large  public  improvement  or  expense,  such  as  a  park  or 


REVENUE  109 

extension  of  the  roads.  Bonds  are  then  issued.  The  interest 
on  the  bonds  is  paid,  and  a  fund  for  the  repayment  is  also 
obtained  from,  taxes  spread  annually  over  a  number  of  years. 
The  state  constitution  sets  limits  upon  the  amount  of  in- 
debtedness that  a  municipal  corporation  may  incur;  and  this 
is,  of  course,  a  limitation  on  the  issuing  of  bonds.  Generally 
bonds  may  not  be  issued  without  submitting  the  question  of 
their  issue  to  a  vote  of  the  people. 

5.  INCOME   FROM   PUBLIC   UTILITIES. 

Income  from  public  utilities  are  sources  of  revenue  that 
are  again  too  complicated  and  difficult  to  be  described  here. 
Reference  may  be  made  to  the  income  from  the  water  rate 
(in  1911,  $5,993,771.32),  which  goes  towards  the  maintenance 
of  the  water-supply  system  that  Chicago  owns  and  conducts, 
and  to  the  receipts  from  the  street  railway  companies  to 
which  the  city  has  granted  street  franchises,  subject  to  the 
condition  that  a  certain  proportion  of  the  net  profits  be  paid 
the  city. 

6.  INCOME   FROM   PUBLIC    PROPERTY. 

The  federal  government  was  once  the  owner  of  vast  pub- 
lic domain,  and  gave  by  the  so-called  Northwest  Ordinance  of 
1787,  the  sixteenth  section,  i.e.,  a  square  mile,  in  each  town- 
ship for  the  school  authorities  to  aid  in  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  the  public-school  system.  The  Enabling  Act  of 
1818,  by  which  Illinois  became  a  state,  gave  5  per  cent  of  the 
net  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  lying  in  the  state 
for  the  same  purpose.  Much  of  this  land  in  Illinois  was 
wastefully  and  unintelligent!}'  disposed  of,  but  much  has  been 
sold  and  the  proceeds  set  apart  as  an  interest-bearing  fund 
for  school  purposes,  while  other  portions  of  the  land  are  still 
owned  by  school  authorities  and  so  managed  as  to  add  largely 
to  the  school  resources.  For  example,  the  rentals  of  the 
school  land  in  Chicago  amounted  in  1913  to  $616,455.42.  The 
income  on  this  fund  is  distributed  annually  to  the  various  pub- 
lic school  authorities  in  the  state  in  proportion  to  the  educa- 


110  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

tional  work  of  each,  which  is  measured  on  the  basis  of  the 
number  of  pupils  attending  per  half-day  per  year.  In  this 
connection,  however,  it  should  be  noted  that  almost  always  the 
annual  school  tax  is  the  largest  tax  levied  and  collected. 

REFERENCES. 

Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Article  I,  Section  8. 

Constitution  of  Illinois  (1870),   Article  IX,  "Revenue." 

Kurd's  "Revised  Statutes  of  Illinois  (1911),  Chap.  120,  "Revenue." 

Illinois  Laws  of  1913,  p.  509  ff.,  "Revenue." 

See  also  in  Hurd's  "Re-vised  Statutes  of  Illinois  and  in  Illinois 
Laws  of  1913  the  particular  acts  creating  or  regulating  or  controlling 
the  particular  taxing  bodies:. 

Charles  E.  Merriam,  Report  on  the  Municipal  Revenues  of  Chicago. 
City  Club  of  Chicago,  Publication  No.  2. 


APPENDIX  I. 
THREE  ILLINOIS  STATUTES  AFFECTING  WOMEN 

I.  The    Act    which    admitted   women    to    occupations 
and  professions. 

AN  ACT  to  secure  to  all  persons  freedom  in  the  selection  of  an 
occupation,  profession,  or  employment.  Approved  March  22,  1872.  In 
force  July  1,  1872. 

§  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  rep- 
resented in  the  General  Assembly:  That  no  person  shall  be  pre- 
cluded or  debarred  from  any  occupation,  profession  or  employment 
(except  military)  on  account  of  sex :  Provided,  that  this  act  shall 
not  be  construed  to  affect  eligibility  of  any  person  to  an  elective 
office. 

§  2.  Nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  as  requiring  any 
female  to  work  on  streets  or  roads,  or  serve  on  juries. 

§  3.     All  laws  inconsistent  with  this  act  are  hereby  repealed. 

II.  The  Act  which  granted  school  suffrage  to  women. 
Sections  269  and  270  of  an  act  called  "AN   ACT  to  establish  and 

maintain  a  system  of  free  schools,"  approved  and  in  force  June  12, 1909. 
By  implication  it  repeals  and  takes  the  place  of  the  act  of  1891  by 
which  Illinois  women  first  acquired  school  franchise. 

§  269.  Any  woman  who  has  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  and  who  possesses  the  qualifications  prescribed,  shall  be 
eligible  to  any  office  under  the  general  or  special  school  laws  of  this 
State. 

§  270.  Any  woman  who  is  a  citizen  and  has  attained  to  the 
age  of  21  years,  who  shall  have  resided  in  the  State  one  year,  in  the 
county  ninety  days,  and  in  the  election  district  thirty  days  preceding 
any  election  held  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  any  school  officer  under 
the  general  or  special  school  laws  of  this  State,  shall  be  entitled  to 
vote  at  such  election,  when  registered  in  the  manner  provided  by  law. 
If  the  election  of  school  officers  shall  occur  at  the  time  other  public 
officers  are  elected,  the  ballot  offered  by  any  woman  shall  contain  only 
the  names  of  candidates  for  school  officers.  Such  ballots  shall  be  de- 
posited in  a  separate  ballot  box,  but  canvassed  with  other  ballots  cast 
for  school  officers  at  such  election. 

III.  The  Act  which  extended  the  suffrage. 

AN  ACT  granting  women  the  right  to  vote  for  presidential  elect- 
ors and  certain  other  officers,  and  to  participate  and  vote  in  certain 
111 


112  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

matters  and  elections.  Senate  Bill  No.  63.  Approved  June  26,  1913, 
and  in  force  July  1,  1913. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly:  That  all  women,  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  above  the  age  of  21  years,  having  resided  in  the  State 
one  year,  in  the  county  ninety  days,  and  in  the  election  district  thirty 
days  next  preceding  any  election  therein,  shall  be  allowed  to  vote  at 
such  election  for  presidential  electors,  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Equalization,  clerk  of  the  appellate  court,  county  collector,*  county 
surveyor,  members  of  board  of  assessors,  members  of  board  of  review, 
sanitary  district  trustees,  and  for  all  officers  of  cities,  villages  and 
towns  (except  police  magistrates),  and  upon  all  questions  or  proposi- 
tions submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  electors  of  such  municipalities  or  other 
political  divisions  of  this  State. 

§2.  All  such  women  may  also  vote  for  the  following  township 
officers :  supervisors,  town  clerk,  assessor,  collector  and  highway 
commissioner,  and  may  also  participate  and  vote  in  all  annual  and 
special  town  meetings  in  the  township  in  which  such  election  district 
shall  be. 

§  3.  Separate  ballot  boxes  and  ballots  shall  be  provided  for 
women  which  ballots  shall  contain  the  names  of  the  candidates  for 
such  offices  which  are  to  be  voted  for  and  the  special  questions  sub- 
mitted as  aforesaid,  and  the  ballots  cast  by  women  shall  be  canvassed 
with  the  other  ballots  cast  for  such  officers  and  on  such  questions.  At 
any  such  election  where  registration  is  required,  women  shall  register 
in  the  same  manner  as  male  voters. 

*In  some  counties  the  sheriff  is  eoc-offlco  county  collector.  In  the  others 
the  county  treasurer  is  ex-offlcio  county  collector.  Both  sheriff  and  county 
treasurer  are  constitutional  officers.  So  women  cannot  vote  on  who  shall 
be  county  collector. 


APPENDIX  II 
CALENDAR  OF  ELECTIONS* 
FIRST   TUESDAY   IN  APRIL. 

For  one  judge  of  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  every  six 
years  counting  1913,  e.g.,  April  1,  1913. 

For  justices  of  the  peace  and  constable  in  counties  under 
township  organization,  every  four  years  counting  1913, 
e.g.,  April  1,  1913. 

For  MAYOR  and  COMMISSIONERS  in  cities  organized 
under  the  commission  plan,  which  include  a  whole  town 
or  townships,  every  four  years  counting  1911,  e.g.,  April 
6,  1915. 

For  all  TOWNSHIP  OFFICERS  and  CITY  OFFICERS 
in  cities  containing  one  or  more  towns,  and  VILLAGE 
OFFICERS  in  villages  whose  boundaries  coincide  with 
the  boundaries  of  a  town,  annually  (outside  Chicago). 

For  police  magistrates  in  such  cities  and  villages,  every  four 
years. 

(Women   may   NOT  vote  for   justice  of  the  peace   or 
police  magistrate.) 

For  school  trustees  in  each  school  township,  the  boundaries 
of  which  concide  with  those  of  a  political  town,  one  trus- 
tee, each  year  for  a  term  of  three  years,  e.g.,  April  7, 
1914. 

For  MAYOR  OF  CHICAGO,  every  four  years  counting 
1911,  e.g.,  April  6,  1915. 

For  CITY  CLERK  and  CITY  TREASURER  IN  CHI- 
CAGO, every  two  years,  e.g.,  April  6,  1915. 

For  one  ALDERMAN  from  each  ward  in  CHICAGO,  each 
year,  e.g.,  April  7,  1914.  and  April  6,  1915. t 

For  one  member  of  board  of  highway  commissioners,  in  each 
road  district,  in  counties  not  under  township  organiza- 
tion, annually. 

"The  offices  for  which  women  can  vote  are  indicated  by  capital  letters. 

The  Board  of  Election  Commissioners  of  Chicago,  and  election  officials 
In  some  other  places  issue  ench  year  a  calendar  for  that  year,  with  full 
Information  concerning  elections,  primaries,  registration  times,  primary 
and  nominating  petitions  for  the  current  year.  This  can  be  secured 
by  application  to  them. 

tSee  p.   38. 

113 


114  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS' 

SECOND  SATURDAY  IN  APRIL. 

For  SCHOOL  TRUSTEES  in  each  school  township  whose 
boundaries  do  not  coincide  with  those  of  a  political  town, 
one  trustee,  each  year,  for  term  of  three  years,  e.g.,  April 
11,  1914. 

THIRD  TUESDAY  IN   APRIL. 

For  OFFICERS  OF  CITIES,  except  those  which  wholly 
include  one  or  more  townships,  annually. 

For  OFFICERS  OF  VILLAGES,  except  those  where  the 
territorial  limits  coincide  with  the  limits  of  a  township, 
annually. 

For  MAYOR  and  COMMISSIONERS  of  cities  under 
commission  form  of  government,  except  those  wholly  in- 
cluding one  or  more  townships. 

For  police  magistrates  in  such  cities  and  villages,  every  four 
years. 

THIRD  SATURDAY   IN  APRIL. 

For  SCHOOL  DIRECTORS  in  districts  having  less  than 
1,000  population,  annually,  e.g.,  April  18,,  1914. 

For  MEMBERS  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  in  dis- 
tricts having  between  1,000  and  100,000  population,  an- 
nually, e.g.,  April  18,  1914. 

FIRST  MONDAY  IN  JUNE. 

For  judges  of  the  Circuit  Court,  every  six  years  counting 
1909,  e.g.,  June  7,  1915. 

For  judges  of  Supreme  Court  every  ninth  year;  in  fifth  dis- 
trict counting  1909,  e.g.,  June  3,  1918;  in  fourth  district 
counting  1912,  e.g.,  June  3,  1912;  in  first,  second,  third, 
sixth  and  seventh  districts,  i.e.,  Cook  County,  counting 
1915,  e.g.,  June  7,  1915. 

For  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County  every  six 
years;  for  one  judge  in  years  counting  1915,  e.g.,  June  7, 
1915;  for  six  judges  in  years  counting  1916,  e.g.,  June 
5,  1916. 


APPENDICES  115 

TUESDAY  AFTER  THE  FIRST  MONDAY  IN  NOVEMBER. 

For  PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTORS,  governor,  lieutenant- 
governor,  secretary  of  state,  au'ditor  of  public  accounts, 
attorney-general,  state  senators  in  even-numbered  dis- 
tricts, MEMBERS  OF  STATE  BOARD  OF  EQUALI- 
ZATION, clerk  of  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County, 
clerks  of  the  circuit  courts,  recorders,  state's  attorneys, 
COUNTY  SURVEYOR,  county  auditors  and  coroners, 
every  fourth  year  counting  1912,  e.g.,  November  7,  1916. 

For  state  treasurer,  representatives  in  Congress,  representa- 
tives in  the  General  Assembly  and  THREE  TRUSTEES 
OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS,  THREE 
TRUSTEES  OF  SANITARY  DISTRICT  OF  CHI- 
CAGO and  of  other  sanitary  districts  of  the  same  type, 
every  two  years  counting  1914,  e.g.,  November  3,  1914. 

For  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  CLERKS  OF  THE 
APPELLATE  COURTS,  every  six  years  counting 
1914,  e.g.,  November  3,  1914. 

For  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  state  senators  in 
odd-numbered  districts,  clerk  of  the  Criminal  Court  of 
Cook  County,  county  and  probate  clerks,  county  and  pro- 
bate judges,  county  treasurers,  county  superintendents  of 
schools,  and  sheriffs,  every  four  years  counting  1914, 
e.g.,  November  3,  1914. 

For  ten  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  every 
six  years  counting  year  1911,  e.g.,  November  6,  1917. 

For  CHIEF  JUSTICE,  CLERK  and  BAILIFF  OF  THE 
MUNICIPAL  COURT  OF  CHICAGO,  every  six  years 
counting  1912,  e.g.,  November  5,  1918.* 

For  ASSOCIATE  JUSTICES  OF  THE  MUNICIPAL 
COURT  OF  CHICAGO,  for  term  of  six  years,  nine 
elected  every  two  years  counting  1914,  e.g.,  November 
3,  1914.* 

For  county  commissioners  in  counties  not  under  township  or- 
ganization, one  each  year  for  term  of  three  years,  e.g., 
November  3,  1914. 

•See  footnote  p.   92. 


116  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

For  commissioners  of  Cook  County,  every  four  years,  e.g., 
November  3,,  1914. 

PRIMARY  ELECTIONS* 

Last  Tuesday  in  February,  each  year,  e.g.,  February  24,  1914 : 
To  nominate  candidates  for  city  offices  and  other  candi- 
dates to  be  voted  for  at  the  election  on  the  first  Tues- 
day in  April. 

Second  Tuesday  in  March,  each  year,  e.g.,  March  10,  1914: 
To  nominate  candidates  to  be  voted  for  at  the  election 

on  the  third  Tuesday  in  April. 
Second  Tuesday  in  April,  every  presidential  year,  e.g.,  April 

12,  1916: 
To  elect  delegates  to  national  nominating  convention  and 

for  preferential  vote  on  presidential  candidates. 
First  Wednesday  after  the  second  Tuesday  in  September : 
To  nominate  candidates  for  members  of  General  Assem- 
bly, every  two  years,  e.g.,  September   16,   1914. 
To  nominate  candidates  for  the  November  election. 
Other  primary  elections  occur  three  weeks  before  the  general 
election  for  which  they  are  held. 

REGISTRATION 
IN  CHICAGO  AND  OTHER  CITIES  HAVING  ELECTION  COMMISSIONERS. 

General  registration,  biennially,  in  the  years  of  Congressional 
elections,  on  the  Saturday  before  the  Tuesday  four  weeks 
before  the  November  election  and  again  on  the  Tuesday 
three  weeks  before  the  November  election,  e.g.,  October 
5  and  15,  1912. 

Intermediate  registration,  Tuesday  three  weeks  before  the 
election. 

OUTSIDE  ELECTION  CO'MMISSIONERS'  JURISDICTION. 

On  Tuesday  of  the  week  before  each  electioni,  where  registra- 
tion is  required. 

*See  p.  31. 

Women  may  vote  at  primary  elections  for  the  nomination  of  such 
officers  as  they  may  vote  for  at  the  regrular  elections. 


TABLE    OF   COUNTIES   SHOWING    ELECTORAL   DISTRICTS 

The  17   counties  marked  •  are  not  under     township     organization;     the    other 
85  have  adopted  township    organization. 


COUNTY. 

COUNTY    SEAT. 

Date  of  Original  Or- 
ganization. 

1 

3 
£ 

• 
3 

GO 

C 

I 

PopulatioD  According 
to  1910  Census. 

Senatorial  District. 

Congressional  District. 

Judicial  Circuit. 

Judicial 
Districts 

Appellate. 

| 

Adams    JQuincy    

1825 

830 

64,588 

36 

15 

8 

3 

4 

•Alexander    iCairo    

1819 

220 

22,741 

50 

25 

1 

4 

1 

Bond  'Greenville    .  .  .  . 

1817 

380 

17,075 

47 

22 

3 

4 

2 

Boone     BplvidfirA     ... 

1837 

288 

15,481 

8 

12 

17 

2 

6 

Brown 

Al>      Sterlinsr 

1839 

306 

10,397 

30 

20 

3 

9 

4 

Bureau    !  Princeton    

1837 

846 

43,975 

37 

16 

13 

2 

5 

*Calhoun   Hardin   

1825 

254 

8,610 

36 

20 

8 

3 

2 

Carroll    

Mt.  Carroll  

1839 

450 

18,035 

12 

13 

15 

2 

6 

-Cass    

Virginia  

1837 

460 

17,372 

30 

20 

8 

3 

4 

Champaign    .  . 

Urbana    

1833 

1,008 

51,829 

24 

19 

6 

3 

3 

Christian   

Taylorville 

1839 

702 

34,594 

40 

21 

4 

3 

2 

Clark   

Marshall    

1819 

513 

23,517 

34 

18 

5 

3 

2 

Clay    

Louisville    

1824 

466 

18,661 

42 

24 

4 

4 

2 

Clinton    

Carlyle    

1824 

487 

22,832 

42 

23 

4 

4 

1 

Coles    
Cook 

Charleston   .... 

1830 
1831 

520 
890 

34,517 
2,405,233 

34 

19 

5 

3 

3 

Crawford    .... 

Robinson    

1816 

470 

26,281 

48 

23 

2 

4 

2 

Cumberland 

Toledo 

1843 

350 

14,281 

40 

18 

5 

3 

2 

DeKalb    

Sycamore    

1837 

650 

33,457 

35 

:  12 

16 

2 

6 

DeWitt  

Clinton   

1839 

440 

18,906 

28 

19 

6 

3 

3 

Douglas    

Tuscola    

1859 

410 

19,591 

34 

19 

6 

3 

3 

DuPage    

Wheaton    

1839 

340 

33,432 

41 

11 

16 

2 

7 

Edgar    

Paris    

1823 

640 

27,336 

22 

18 

5 

3 

3 

*  Ed  wards    

Albion   

1814 

220 

10,049 

48 

24 

2 

4 

1 

Effingham    .... 

Effingham    

1831 

486 

20,055 

42 

23 

4 

4 

2 

Fayette    

Vandalia    

1821 

720 

28,075 

40 

23 

4 

4 

2 

Ford    

Paxton   

1859 

580 

17,096 

26 

17 

11 

3 

3 

Franklin    

Benton    

1818 

430 

25,943 

50 

25 

2 

4    j    1 

Fulton    

Lewiston    

1823 

846 

49,549 

43 

15 

9 

3         4 

Gallatin     ..... 

Shawneetown   .. 

1812 

340 

14,628 

48 

24 

2 

4         1 

Greene    

Carrollton    

1821 

540 

22,363 

38 

20 

7 

3         2 

Grundy 

Morris 

1S41 

440 

24,162 

20 

12 

13 

2         5 

Hamilton    .... 

McLeansboro  .  . 

1821 

440 

18,227 

51 

24 

2 

4         1 

Hancock    

Carthage     

1825 

780 

30,638 

32 

14 

9 

3         4 

»Hardin    

Elizabethtown  . 

1839 

180 

7,015 

48 

24 

2 

4    i    1 

Henderson  .... 

Oquawka   

1841 

380 

9,724 

33 

14 

9 

2    !    4 

Henry    

Cambridge   .... 

1825 

825 

41,736 

37 

15 

14 

2    |    5 

Iroquois    

Watseka    

1833 

1,100 

35,543 

20 

18 

12 

2         3 

Jackson 

Vlurphysboro  .  . 

1816 

580 

35,143 

44 

25 

1 

4         1 

Jasper 

N"ewton 

1831 

484 

18,157 

46 

23 

^ 

4i      o 

Jefferson    

Mt.  Vernon   

1R19 

466 

29,111 

46 

23 

2 

:      i      2 

4         1 

Jersey    

Jerseyville    .... 

18S3 

360 

13,954 

38 

20 

7 

3         2 

Jo  Daviess  .  .  . 

Galena    

1827 

650 

22,657 

12 

13 

15 

2    !    6 

'Johnson  

Vienna    

1812 

340 

14,331 

51 

24 

1 

4         1 

Kane    

Geneva    

1836 

540 

91,862 

14 

11 

16 

2    i    6 

Kankakee    .... 

Kankakee   

1853 

680 

40,752 

20 

18 

12 

2    i    7 

Kendall    Yorkville  

1841 

321 

10,777 

14 

12 

16 

2    i    6 

Knox    jGalesburg   

1825 

720 

46,159 

43 

15 

9 

2 

5 

See  p.   128. 


2  See  p.   128. 


»Cook  County  is  itself  a  separate  circuit. 
117 


COUNTY. 

COUNTY    SEAT. 

Date  of  Original  Or- 
ganization. 

I 
3 

a 

3 

M 

3| 

n 

E 

Senatorial  District. 

Congressional  District. 

_  

Judicial  Circuit. 

Judicial 
Districts 

Appellate. 

s 

00 

Lake 

Waukegan    .... 
Ottawa  
Lawrenceville   . 
Dixon    

1839 
1831 
1821 
1839 
1837 
1839 

1829 
1829 
1812 
1823 
1839 
1841 
1843 
1826 
1836 
1830 
1839 
1825 
1816 
1821 
1823 
1843 

1836 

1825 
1827 
1841 
1821 
1816 
1843 
1825 

1795 
1841 
1831 

1847 
1821 
1825 
1839 
1827 
1839 
1790 
1837 

1827 
1818 
1826 

1824 
1825 
1818 
1819 
1815 
1836 
1836 
1839 
1836 
1841 

394 
1,152 
362 
728 
1,026 
620 

580 
864 
740 
576 
350 
518 
240 
576 
612 
1,061 
311 
550 
380 
740 
563 
340 

733 

630 
432 

440 
756 
360 
190 
170 

560 
380 
420 

396 
875 
414 
252 
760 
290 
680 
573 

650 
400 
882 

220 
540 
557 
720 
500 
676 
850 
440 
540 
556 

55,058 
90,132 
22,661 
27,750 
40,465 
30,216 

54486 
50,685 
89,847 
35,094 
15,679 
17,377 
14,200 
26,887 
32,509 
68,008 
12,796 
19,723 
13,508 
35,311 
34,420 
14,630 

27,864 

100,255 
22,088 
16,376 
28,622 
11,215 
15,650 
7,561 

29,120 
15,970 
70,404 

30,204 
91,024 
14,852 
10,067 
31,693 
10,098 
119,870 
36,821 

34,027 
21,856 
77,996 

14,913 
23,313 
18,759 
25,697 
23,052 
34,507 
83,371 
45,098 
63,153 
20,506 

8 
39 
48 
35 
16 
28 

28 
38 
47 
42 
16 
30 
51 
32 
8 
26 
30 
33 
44 
38 
45 
24 

10 

18 
44 
24 
36 
51 
50 
16 

44 
46 
33 

51 
45 
30 
36 
40 
37 
49 
12 

30 
50 
22 

48 
32 
44 
46 
48 
35 
41 
50 
10 
16 

10 
12 
23 
13 
17 
17 

19 
21 
22 
23 
16 
20 
24 
14 
11 
17 
20 
14 
22 
21 
20 
19 

13 

16 
25 
19 
20 
24 
25 
16 

25' 
23 
14 

24 
21 
15 
20 
19 
10 
22 
13 

16 
25 
IS 

23 
14 
22 
24 
24 
13 
11 
25 
12 
17 

17 
13 
2 
15 
11 
11 

6 
7 
3 
4 
10 
8 
1 
9 
17 
11 
8 
14 
3 
4 
7 
6 

15 

10 
3 
6 
8 
1 
1 
10 

3 

2 
14 

1 

7 
8 
7 
4 
16 
3 
15 

10 
1 
5 

2 
9 
3 
2 
2 
14 
12 
1 
17 
11 

2 
2 
4 
2 
2 
3 

3 
3 

4 
4 
2 
3 
4 
3 
2 
3 
3 
2 
4 
3 
3 
3 

2 

2 
4 
3 
3 
4 
4 
2 

4 
4 
2 

4 
3 
3 
3 
3 
2 
4 
2 

3 
4 
3 

4 
2 
4 
4 
4 
2 
2 
4 
2 
2 

5 
2 
6 
3 
3 

3 
2 

2 
2 
5 

1 

2 
4 
3 

6 

5 
1 
3 

2 
1 

1 
5 

1 
2 
4 

1 
2 
4 
2 
2 
E 
] 
G 

3 

1 
3 

1 
4 
1 
1 
1 
6 
7 
1 
6 
5 

LaSalle       .... 

Lawrence   
Lee        

Livingston  .  .  . 
Logan    

Macon   
Macoupin   

Lincoln   

Decatur     
Carlinville    
Edwardsville    .  . 
Salem   
Lacon    
Havana  

Marion    
Marshall    

•Massac    
McDonough    .  . 
McHenry   
McLean    
*Menard   
Mercer    
*Monroe    
Montgomery.  . 

Metropolis    .... 
Macomb  ........ 
Woodstock   .... 
Bloomington    .  . 
Petersburg  .... 
Aledo    
Waterloo    
Hillsboro   
Jacksonville   .  .. 
Sullivan    

Moultrie   
Ogle 

Peoria   
*Perry    
Piatt  

Peoria    
Pinckneyville    .. 
Monticello    .... 
Pittsfield 

*Pope   
•Pulaski     

Golconda    
Mound  City    .  .  . 
Hennepin  

Chester   
Olney    
Rock  Island   ... 

Harrisburg 
Springfield    .... 
Rushville    
Winchester    .  .  . 
Shelby  ville 
Toulon    

Putnam    

'Randolph   .... 
Richland    
Rock  Island    .  . 

Saline  
Sangamon   .  .  . 
Schuyler    .... 
*Scott       

Shelby 

Stark       

SLClair   
Stephenson  .  .  . 

Tazewell    
*Ifnion    
Vermilion  .  .  . 

Belleville    
Freeport    

Pekin 

Jonesboro    
Danville    

Mt.  Carmel    
Monmouth    .... 
Nashville    
Fairfleld    

Warren   
Washington  .  . 

White    
Whiteside   ... 
Will    
Williamson  .  . 
Winnebago  .  .  . 
Woodford  

Morrison    
Joliet  
Marion    
Rockf  ord    
Eureka  

118 


INDEX 


119 


INDEX 

(Wherever  a  reference   runs  over   more  than  one  page,   the  first  page 
only  indicated.) 

Acts,  woman's  suffrage,  text  of Ill 

African  citizens  14 

Aldermen   ., 39 

Appellate  courts,  state    .» 86 

Appointive  officers,  city „ 40 

—  federal    '. 100 

—  state    82 

—  village    50 

Apportionment  <  for  representation 75,  94 

Arrest,  exemption  of  voter  from 21 

Assessments,  for  general  taxation 64 

-  special    ". . . : 104,  108 

Assessors    57,  65 

Attorney-general  81 

Auditor,  county   63 

—  state  81 

Auditors,  township  board  of 58 

Australian  Ballot  Act 25,  32,  35 

Australian  ballots,  form  of 27 

Ballot 25 

—  at  primary  elections 31,  34 

—  marking  of  24,  26 

—  sample  and  official 24.  25,  26,  27 

Ballot  boxes  , 24 

—  separate  for  women Ill,  112 

Bill  boards 42 

Board 

—  of  Aldermen   39 

—  of  Assessors  (County)    65 

—  of  Auditors   (Town)    58 

—  of  Civil  Service  Commissioners   (City) 44 

—  of  Commissioners  of  Cook  County 60 

—  of  County  Commissioners  59 

—  of  Education   42.  68,  70 

—  of  Election  Commissioners  46 

—  of  Equalization  (State)    84 

-  of  Examiners  of  Engineers   41 

—  of  Health  (Town)    57 

—  of  Highway  Commissioners    (Town) 58 

—  of  Lincoln  Park  Commissioners 45,  53 

—  of  Local  Improvements   44 

—  of  Public  Library  42 

—  of  Review   (County)    65 

—  of  School  Directors  70 

—  of  South  Park  Commissioners 45,  53 

—  of  Special  Park  Commissioners 45 

—  of  Supervisors    56 

—  of  Trustees  of  Sanitary  District 66 

120 


INDEX  121 

Bonds    35.  58,  104,  108 

Borrowing    35,  58,  104,  108 

Bridges  and  Roads.    See  Highways. 

Buildings  Department    (Chicago) 42 

Calendar  of  Elections 113 

Caucus   nominations 32 

Central  committees  of  parties 33 

Challengers    23 

Charities,  public   43',  44,  61 

Charters  of  cities 37 

Chicago  city   government 37 

Children,  dependent  and  delinquent 41 

—  of  citizens   13-20 

Chinese   14 

Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  (U.  S.) 103 

'Circuit  courts   87 

Cities,  government  of 37 

Citizen,  must  be,  to  vote  in  Illinois Ill,  112 

—  privileges  of    35 

Citizenship    13 

—  by  birth    13 

—  by  naturalization    14 

—  lost 20 

—  of  family  13-20  ' 

City  charters    37 

City  council    38,  39,  48 

City  courts   46,  90 

Civil  Service  Commissioners 44,  60 

Claims,  U.  S.  Court  of 103 

Clerk  of  circuit  court 63 

Clerks  of  election 22,  35,  36,  47 

Collecting  of  general  taxes 107 

Collector,  city    40 

—  county 57,  63,  107,  112 

Commerce  Court  (U.  S.) 103 

Commission  form  of  city  government 47 

Committees,  central  partisan 33 

—  of  city  council 39 

Common  law   77 

Comptroller  of  Chicago 40 

Congress     93 

Constables  61 

Constitutional  officers 11,  50 

Constitutional  provisions     73',  77 

Conventions  and  nominations 32,  33 

Cook  County   55,  60 

Coroner   63 

Correction,  House  of    (Chicago) 43 

Council,  City 38,  39,  48 

Counting  the  votes 23 

County  Commissioners    59,  60 

County  convention    33 

County  government   55 


122  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

County  j  udge 62 

County  officers  61 

County  superintendent  of  schools 63,  69 

County  treasurer   63 

Courts 

—  Illinois  Appellate   86 

Circuit    87 

City    46,  90 

County   62,  88 

Criminal 87,  89 

Juvenile   42,  90 

Municipal,  of  Chicago 46,  91 

of  Cook  County 89 

of  Record    92 

Superior  Court  of  Cook  County 89 

Supreme   85 

—  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals 103 

District    103 

Claims 103 

Commerce  103 

Customs    103 

Supreme    102 

Cross  (  X  ) ,  how  used  in  voting 26 

Dates.    See  Calendar  of  Elections. 

Declaration  of  intention  to  become  citizen IS 

Directors,  school 70 

District  Courts,  U.  S 103 

District  election,  i.e.,  territory  for  one  polling-place 21,  22,  30,  60 

Domestic  Relations  Court  (Municipal  Court) 46 

Duties,  tariffs,  excises,  stamps 105 

Education.     See  also  Schools 67,  109 

—  Board  of 42,  68,  70 

Election,  Commissioners,  Board  of 46 

—  (general)  statutes  enumerated 25 

—  officials,  judges,  clerks,  etc 22,  35,  47 

—  precincts  and  districts 21,  22,  30,  60 

—  supplies  and  paraphernalia 24 

Electrician,  city,  Chicago 41 

Elevators   42 

Eligibility 

—  for  naturalization  13 

—  of  voters  21 

—  of  women  to  office  and  positions Ill 

Enactment  of  statutes,  method  of 77 

Equalization,  State  Board  of 84 

Eskimos    14 

Excise  duties    105 

Expatriation : 20 

Extension  of  taxes 107 

Federal  Government  93 

Fees 64,  81,  82,  91,  96,  104,  109 


INDEX  123 

First  papers    (naturalization) 14 

Forms 15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  26,  27 

Garbage   37 

General  Assembly  74 

Governor    78 

—  lieutenant  81 

Head  of  family 19,  47 

Health  Department,  Chicago 41,  43 

—  town  board  of 57 

High  school  of  township 71 

Highway  commissioners,  board  of 58 

Highways,  county  superintendent  of 64 

—  State  Department  of 83,  84 

Impeachment 78,  101 

Improvements,  local   37,  44,  107,  108 

Income  tax   105,  106 

Incorporated  towns 50 

Independent  petition  for  nomination 34,  35 

Independent  voters  disqualified  at  primary 34 

Instruction  cards,  voting  methods 22 

Internal  revenue  105 

Interstate  matters 73,  93,  102 

Jails  43,  61 

Japanese    14 

Judges  of  election 22,  35,  47 

Judges.    See  Courts. 

Jury  service  Ill 

Justices  of  the  peace 50,  61;  90 

Juul  Law 107 

Juvenile  Court   42,  90 

Law,  common   77 

Law  Department,  Chicago 42 

Legislature,  state   74 

Levy,  state,  of  taxes 107 

Library,  Public,  of  Chicago 42 

Licenses  37,  38,  108 

Limitations  on  taxes 106,  107 

Lincoln   Park  Commissioners 45,  53 

Little  ballot  26 

Local  improvements 37,  44,  107,  108 

Machines  for  voting 28 

Marking  the  ballot 24,  26 

Mayor   40,  48 

Meeting,  town   ;•••.••••. -. 56,  112 

Minority  representative  in  city  councils 49 

Mongolians 14 

Morals  Court   (Municipal   Court) 46 

Municipal  Court  of  Chicago 46,  91 

Municipal  government,  commission  form  of 47 


124  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

Municipal  political   parties .34 

Municipal  Tuberculosis  Sanitarium 43 

Municipalities    37-54 

National  government   93 

Naturalization    14 

Nominations 

—  and  primary  elections 31 

—  by  caucus    : 32 

—  by  convention   32 

—  by  primary 32 

—  by  petition   (independent)    34 

Oath 

—  of    state    officers    85 

—  of    state    senator   or    representative 76 

—  president    99 

Officers 

—  constitutional " 11,  50 

—  county   61 

—  executive,  of  Chicago 40 

—  for  whom  women  vote 11,  38,   111,  113 

—  See  also   Cities,  State,   County,  etc. 

Park  districts    51 

Parks  35.  45,  46,  51 

Parties,  political.     Sec  Nominations. 

Petition    for    naturalization 17 

—  for    independent    nomination 34 

—  of  candidate  at  primary  election 33 

Police   Department,    Chicago 42 

Police    magistrates    50,  90 

Political  parties.     See  Nominations. 

—  municipal    34 

Polling-places     22,  23,  24 

Poor  houses    61 

Posters.     See  Instruction  cards. 

Precincts  (election)  for  each  polling-place 21,  22,  30,  36 

President  and   his   election,    method 98 

Primary  act,  woman's  amendment  to 34 

Primary  elections    '. 31-36,  48,  116 

Prisons .- 43,  61 

Probate   courts    88 

Propositions 

—  forms  of,   on  ballot 26 

—  local  35 

—  on  which  women  vote Ill 

—  petitions  to  submit   35 

Public  Library,  Chicago   42 

Public  utilities 37,  82.  104,  109 

Public    Utilities    Commission 82 

Public  Works,  Dept.  of,  Chicago 40 

Qualifications  of  voters 21 

Qualified  legal  voters  as  petitioners 35 


INDEX  125 

Questions 

—  forms  of,  on  ballots  26 

—  on  which  women  vote Ill 

—  petitions   to    submit 35 

Rating  taxes   107 

Recall,  i.e.,  removal  from  office 46,  78,  82,  101 

Record,  courts  of 92 

Recorder    63 

Referendum  petitions    35 

Registration 23,  29,  116 

—  women  and   men   alike 112 

Removals  from  office 46,   78,  82,  101 

Rentals,  school  property   109 

Representation,  basis  of  apportionment    (state) 75 

Representatives,    House  of 

—  State 75,  76 

—  National.     Sec  Congress. 

Residence 

—  of  soldiers   and  sailors 21 

—  of  voters    21 

Revenues    104 

Road   districts 59 

Road  labor  by  women  not  required Ill 

Roads  and  bridges.     See  Highways. 

Sailors'  residence    21 

Salaries   64,  81,  91,  96,  100,  104,  108 

—  See  also  divers  officers. 

Sample  ballots   24,  26,  27 

Sanitarium,   Tuberculosis    43,  61 

Sanitary  Districts    66 

School 

—  directors 70 

—  fund   origin    109 

—  suffrage     11 

—  system  67 

—  taxes   and    rentals 109 

—  township     69 

—  trustees    69,  70 

Schools 

—  Chicago  Board  of   Education 42 

—  County  Superintendent  of 63,  69 

—  State  Superintendent  of 68 

—  Township 69 

Second   papers    (Naturalization) 16 

Secrecy  of  ballot   24,  25,  28,  29 

Secretary  of  State 81 

Section  Sixteen,  school  property 109 

Senate  and  Senators 

-  state 75 

—  U.  S.     See  Congress. 

Senatorial  Districts    74,  75 


126  HANDBOOK   FOR    WOMEN    VOTERS 

Sheriff   62 

Sidewalk  injuries  and  city  physician 42 

Soldiers'   residence 21 

South    Park   Commissioners 53 

Special  Assessments  104,  108 

Special   Park  Commission 45 

Specimen  ballots 24,  25,  26,  27 

Speeders'  Court  (Municipal  Court) 46 

Split   tickets    27,   28 

Stamp   duties 106 

State  convention    33 

State  government   73 

State    officers,    appointive 82 

State   officers,   elective 80,  81,  84,  85 

State  taxation  106 

States  where  full  equal  suffrage  exists . .  11 

Stationary  and  supplies  at  polls 24 

Statute 

—  enactment  of,  method 77 

—  (women's    occupations)    text Ill 

—  (women's    school    suffrage)     text Ill 

—  (women's  1913  suffrage)  text Ill 

—  (women's   primary   amendment) 34 

Statutes,  general,  for  elections  enumerated 25 

Straight  tickets   27 

Streets.     See  Highways. 

Suffrage 

—  equal    11 

—  limited     11 

—  school    11,  111 

—  woman's    11,  111 

Superior  Court,  Cook  County 89 

Supervisors,  board  of,  of   counties    56 

Supervisors   of  towns 57 

Supreme  Court. 

—  State   85,  86 

—  U.   S 102 

Tariff     105 

Taxes   104 

—  collection  of   107 

—  extension   of    107 

—  federal     105 

—  general    104 

—  income    105,  106 

—  levy   of   107 

—  limitations  on    106,  107 

—  school    109 

—  state,  etc 106 

Tickets 

—  on  voting  machines 29 

—  straight  and  split  27,  28 

Time  allowed  voter  to  vote 21,  24,  29 


INDEX  127 

Town 

—  in  Chicago  and  large  cities  merged 56,  60,  61 

—  incorporated    SO 

—  meetings    56,   112 

—  officers   57,   112 

Township   elections 56 

Township  organization   of   Counties 55 

Township    High   Schools    71 

Township, 

—  congressional    55 

—  school    69 

Treasurer 

—  City 39,  40 

—  County 63 

—  State    81 

Trustees  of  Schools  69,  70 

Tuberculosis  Sanitarium   43,  61 

United   States    government 93 

University  of  Illinois,  trustees  of 84 

Utilities,  public   37,  82,   104,   109 

Valuations  for  taxation 64,  65,  84 

Vice-President    101 

Village  form  of  government 50 

Voters,  qualified  legal,  as  petitioners 35 

Voting    21 

—  cumulative     50 

—  instruction    cards    posted 22 

—  machines     28 

—  methods    24 

—  opportunity  of,   secured  to  voter    21 

—  secrecy  in 24,  25,  28,  29 

Wards 

—  of  Chicago   (See  also  map) 38,  39 

—  of  Sanitary  districts  67 

Watchers,  election    23 

Water   supply  rates    109 

West  Chicago  Park  Commissioners   53 

Wife   of  citizen,   status 13-20 

Woman's    Occupations    Act Ill 

Woman's   Suffrage   Acts 11,  111 

—  primary  act  amendment    34 

Women  as  "qualified"  voters    35 

X,  how  used  as  voting  mark 26 


MAP  OF  CHICAGO 
SENATORIAL  DISTRICTS 

(IN   RED) 


MAP  OF  CHICAGO 
CONGRESSIONAL  DISTRICTS 

(IN    RED) 


MAP  OF  ILLINOIS 
COUNTIES  AND   COUNTY  SEATS 


HECKMAN 

BINDERY  INC. 

JUN95 


